Light Up The World
by Dragnerz
Summary: Eragon and Saphira, long with Luna, the mysterious black wolf, continue their travels in the north in search of the evil king Galbatorix, while investigating the rebellion of wolves. Set after what the last book would be, with Galb having escaped.
1. Intro

**This marks the start of Part II of my Light up the World Inheritance fan fiction.  
**Hopefully after a years experience my writing has improved and I can provide you with an even better story than in part one.

To be honest, I don't think it's necessary to read my first part before this. But, during the beginning of me writing this there will not be any chapters. So if you feel like more, please add this to the end of in your address bar

_/s/5199754/1/Light_Up_The_World_Beginnings _

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**I do not own Eragon, Saphira, Galbatorix, Alagaesia... Or literally anything by the creative mind of Christopher Paolini and his Inheritance cycle. Luna however, and her back story, is all my creation, as well as the area's where my story takes place. It IS worth noting though that Luna is inspired by the wolf Fell from The Legend of The Sight books by David Clement-Davies**

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To anybody who cares and who enjoys this read, I deeply thank you. It means a lot that my ideas and stories in my head can entertain those around me, or very distant from me as the case may be! If you do care, and I do hope you do, Please leave a nice little reply to say so, will ya? :)

In other words I greatly appreciate **Reviews!**

Now it is late, and as many people tend to tell me I stop making sense when it's late. So before I start freaking out about the purple elephant staring at you behind you at the other side of the room, I should go. So good night everyone, and I hope you enjoy the first chapter. Because in the next one, the story really begins.

**With love,**

**Dragnerz**


	2. 1: Serenity

Eragon awoke to the familiar thrumming of a wing beat, of the ripple of scales beneath his body, and the scent of the fresh air, the free sky, and his life partner. Though his eyes closed, Eragon could already shape the world around him; the dual arrow heads of birds surrounding him, a bear catching salmon in a river many miles below, the reflection of the sun from the millions of water vapour native to the sky.

The boy sat up outstretching his arms while releasing a long yawn. After a second of nothing, he decided that he was ready to take on the morning and begin his day, that he was ready to leave his sanctuary of his mind, as if as soon as he opened his eyes from his sleep a veil would unmask itself around Eragon and he would be exposed to the harshness of the world around him.

He slowly opened his eyes... only to shut them again and release a grunt of discomfort, and be greeted with a low rumbling chuckle from just ahead of him.

_'What's so funny?'_ Eragon asked, trying again to open his eyes and once again fail to withstand the mighty force of the sun.

_'You're just cute when you're sleepy, little one'_ came Saphira's voice, so soothing and familiar yet silent as a winter pond.

_'I just did not expect us to fly through the night'_ he replied, last nights endeavours returning to him.

_'I still had much energy, and I felt like I needed to be away from the world. Get away from everything'._

Eragon nodded in agreement, recollecting his thoughts. It had been almost a month since the black wolf Luna had left without notice, after the fire in a small town lead by a large band of rebelling wolves. Since then, countless towns and villages had met a similar fate in the area. Eragon and Saphira had met up with Arya and travelled with her, trying to track down the mad-man Galbatorix, whose magic had twisted his mind so far as to distort the reality around him. Eventually the three had to split up to cover more area, and now Eragon once again has found himself alone with Saphira, the beautiful sapphire dragon whose mind and soul were the same as Eragon's.

Silently casting a spell over his eyes to shield them from the sun, Eragon looked up at the sun, so large and enveloping in its own energy. So far in the sky above the earth and the clouds with Saphira, Eragon often felt like Icarus, as if none of his experiences since his isolated life in Palancar Valley so long ago should have ever occurred, and by being this high up, this connected with such a magical, amazing, unbelievable creature such as Saphira he were testing the tempers of the gods themselves, and one day he would lose everything, his life plummeting to the ground as Saphira was taken away from him. Things just seemed to good to be true for him. He often thought none of this should be possible, nor should have happened...

Eragon never let himself dwell on such thoughts for very long, for he knew the pitfall he could fall into with that train of thought, and believed well to keep clear of that.

Other times though, Eragon's thoughts got the best of him.

_'Saphira...?'_

_'Yes little one?'_

_'Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if I **hadn't** found you in that forest so long ago? If Arya had come to collect your egg and many many years later, well after my time, you had hatched for somebody else? If we had never come together?'_

Saphira only chuckled at Eragon, her glowing good mood pouring into Eragon's emotions.

_'Little one, you really are very tired. I do, sometimes. But dwelling on those kinds of thoughts does no good. Our lives did not turn out that way, and we are together and connected. That's just how things are, and I'm glad things are like this. I'm glad we found each other little one.'_

Eragon nuzzled his head into his dragon's neck with love, to which Saphira responded by soothing his mind with her own.

_'Now get some more rest, little one, so that your mind will be working properly for the day' _Saphira teased.

Eragon grunted and laid his head down obligingly, knowing she was right. He turned his head and watched the birds fly next to them, their tiny bones in their wings flapping hard to keep in speed, while Saphira's own might wings beat lazily and freely. He sighed, and closed his eyes, letting the beat of her wings lull him to sleep like so many nights before.


	3. 2: Same Old Story with a New Rush

It would be another two hours in the clouds and rushing cool air until the world would rush towards the two, abruptly stopping with a loud _thump_ and awakening the young boy on his dragon.

Eragon moaned as he slid of her scaly back, still tired from his sleep and drowsy from his dream. Flashes of metal and fire scarred his mind, the faces of many men beneath his blade slowly fading from the back of his mind. Eragon rubbed his eyes and looked around him, trying yet failing to take his surroundings in. He gathered that he was in the main square of some sort of developed village, surrounded by two and three story housing and paved with cobblestone, grey and lifeless as an abandoned Dwarvern mine. Eragon couldn't piece together the significance and disturbance of the sight around him, let alone fathom why they would have landed here.

It took him another two minutes to realize everyone was dead.

Saphira walked towards a building which she assumed a church while Eragon stood in bewilderment, sniffing her snout in through the main, broken down doors. Very little bodies littered the stands and floors, the blood as stale and dried as their skin. Shards of stain glass painted the room a mystical glow as the warm sun flooded the room. The dragoness sighed and looked away, her heart heavy with grief for the lives lost.

_'Could this be another attack by the rebel wolves?'_ Eragon asked, scavenging a body for evidence of his suspicion.

_'It looks like it, unfortunately'_

_'I thought they were attacking down farther South, in the Achler region?'_

_'They must have spread out their forces,' _Saphira contemplated. _'Maybe they're recruiting help from all the different regions here...'_

Eragon looked up from the body towards a demolished house, easily the biggest in the square. He began to make his way forward, but missed spotting the sword lodged in the earth, and soon found himself plummeting. His fall was only stopped by the swift catch of a blue snake, lovingly wrapping itself around his body and gently placing him on his feet. Eragon turned to face Saphira, who only winked and walked the other way.

As he entered the home, the distinct stench of mold and rotting food wafted in his face. Making his way further, he found the remains of a ravished feast, scattered with blood and little remains. Eragon sighed, thinking of the family whom would have been eating, or celebrating as it seemed, as the wolves invaded their home, swiftly or slowly ending their lives. He found portraits of family members, drawings of the town in it's prime, and opened letters and various papers scattered on the floors. A golden locket engraved with the words _"to River, love Ethel"_ and a picture of a happy couple had found its way on top of one of the stairs. Other than that, there was nothing else see that hadn't been destroyed. The house was musty and silent, save for the scampering of the tiny paws of mice in the floorboards.

_'I suppose the wolves took most of the bodies and anything valuable with them' _Eragon commented, leaving the house through the doorway.

_'Yes, it seems like that.'_ Saphira replied. _'I noticed this town seemed peculiar while flying, so I thought we'd investigate. It seems we've discovered much.'_

Eragon looked at his feet, noticing a large bloodied tattered cloth on the floor. Picking it up, Eragon noticed that this was in fact a map, though barely legible. A red circle around a dot was clearly visible, with a name that Eragon could only make out as _**S_lve_s_ein**_, to which he assumed the previous owner marked where they were. Just above the dot was a large collection of trees with an illegible label, and a river named Ariizont, stretching to the far left of the page and onwards, near the end a large solid black star clearly marked. Eragon's mind began to wander as he remembered Arya's words from before. _"Head north along the forest of Sol until reaching the Ariizont river. From there follow it westbound, and you will reach the capitol city"_

_'The river is just ahead of here?' _Saphira asked, obviously having been eavesdropping on Eragon's thoughts. This was natural to Eragon though, and came as a sort of comfort to him now.

_'Aye. It seems like it is. From there it mustn't be too much further, as we're already near the edges of this map.' _Eragon folded the tattered map neatly and put it in his pouch of convenience for later use, taking out his previous map he had found in the battle against the band of travellers. _This new map is much larger, and covers much more area,_ he thought, quickly recording the information he had scribed from his previous map onto the new one before throwing it out.

_'What is with you and maps, little one?' _Saphira chuckled, nudging him from behind, obviously trying to lighten the mood. _'Is this a new-found hobby I see sparking?'_

_'Hm? No, nothing like that, I just...' _Eragon found himself at a loss of words to try and rational his actions. _'I just like to know where I am and where I'm going. Don't you?'_

_'Hmm, I suppose,'_ Saphira replied, _'But I'm not terribly worried about that, because I know I will get there eventually. I don't see much sense in making sure you know exactly where you're going when you could just start going there now.'_

Eragon looked up at her, smiled, and promptly jumped onto her back. _'Alright, now lets get going then'_ he said happily.

Within three seconds Saphira took flight, quickly accelerating high into the clouds. As she levelled out at a comfortable altitude, Eragon looked down. Beneath him the town had quickly shrunk to a size not even fit for a mouse, the farms and grasslands rolling and flowing as the wind and Saphira's wings pulled them forward. He let his mind stretch out and felt all of the wildlife in the area. All the squirrels, the deer, the crows and the rabbits, all spread out over the land. Eragon felt at one with nature, flowing through the lifeforce as it guided him forward.

_'I can sense wolves beneath us,'_ Saphira's voice warned.

Eragon looked beneath them with his mind and felt the entities of a large troupe of wolves running through the fields, his mind matching Saphira's worried tone. There were easily twenty wolves, all aggressive, all obviously heading somewhere.

_'Perhaps we should follow them, make sure the little pups stay out of trouble?' _Saphira asked, the spark of the hunt growing in her voice. Eragon nodded his head and said _'Agreed' _as Saphira fell into the clouds, silently watching from above.


	4. 3: The Northern Army

**Chapter 3:** The Northern Army

The cool night's air brushed against Eragon's face as nightfall began to wrap itself around the world. The duo had followed the band of wolves deep into the forest of Sol, well past their turn at the river. During this time at least fifty wolves had joined the crows. _I could never have imagined so many animals like wolves banding together and running in such large packs_, Eragon thought with slight amazement.

_'Yes, I agree little one. It certainly is odd behaviour for their kind.'_ Saphira's voice echoed through his mind.

_'You're doing that mind-eavesdropping again,'_ Eragon stated, furrowing his brow.

Saphira shook him slightly on her back. _'I thought you said you didn't mind, little one.'_ Her voice came teasingly. She seemed to enjoy their little loving disputes, although Eragon sometimes found some irritation when these became drawn out.

_'I never said that, I only thought it. Of course, that would be obvious if you hadn't eavesdropped on me!'_ he teased back.

_'No, I would know nothing at all actually.'_

Eragon took a second before breaking their connection and looking away into the clouds, unwilling to admit defeat. _I'll best you one day, mark my words dragon,_ he thought to himself.

_'Fat chance.'_ that oh-so-familiar voice came. Eragon promptly kicked her sides with his heels and she did a slight swerve, pretending as if he'd hurt her. Although sometimes irritating, Eragon _did_ in fact enjoy their loving disputes as well. He felt it was just another way they both showed their love and caring for each other, that they weren't fed up yet. Even though he knew that would never occur, obviously.

They would soon find themselves on the ground, stealth spells invoked, and spying on the wolf meeting because the wolves they were following had just about reached their destination; a large open-spaced area surrounded by a ring of trees in the middle of the forest, littered with large rocks, one clearly the largest. Easily two hundred wolves gathered in this lush green field, some taking place atop the rocks, others getting comfortable on the ground. Within five minutes every rock but the highest had a single wolf on it, the other wolves looking at it with anticipation. _They must involve a sort of ranking system,_ Eragon pondered, his mind already beginning to speculate the sorts of qualifications these wolves may have for such ranking, and who the leader may be.

Eragon began to wonder what these wolves must be doing, as he did not remember seeing a town in the forest. _'Saphira, do you think these-'_

_'Shush!'_

Eragon was about to comment, but he soon realized his need for silence as a wolf finally perched atop the rock, and silence fell upon the others.

This one was a strong built male, dark brown pelt plotted with streaks of black. From his stature and posture, anybody could tell that he was the Alpha, even without a pack. His body was muscled and his jaws powerful, razor-sharp fangs clearly visible as he lifted his head into a deep-voiced howl. The rest of the wolves joined in chorus to what the two presumed to be the opening for the meeting. The Alpha's eyes deep red eyes fell down and met gaze with every single wolf in his large pack, each eagerly awaiting his orders.

"Wolves of Fehrla." he barked. "We have all come a long way from our homes tonight. Some, from the plains of Erhand. Others from even the mountains of Achler. But we all come for a purpose." Murmurs of _humans_ and _wolf killers_ echoed through the crowd. After a few seconds the Alpha raised his paw to silence them. "As our brethren lead by the white wolf Kain, we have joined to revolt against this pitiful excuse for a species. A kind even Fenris would be in disgust by. Kain's army of wolves have already ravished through countless human settlements. And what's more, they succeed in their goal!"

Cheers of excitement began to ring out through the crowd as he spoke these words. "The human forces are diminishing, and our wolves are taking back the land that was rightfully promised to us by Fenris! Already they have taken back Rita lake, and the forests of Achler!

"Now it is our turn to do the same," he growled, his tone becoming much more serious. "You have seen our work at Silverstein village on your way here. That was done with a mere 30 wolves. Now imagine the work that could be done with two hundred!" He gave a roar and everyone in the crowd shouted along, obviously eager to get into the action. "Tonight, we attack the human settlement Heath, and we take back Torra river!"

It was obvious the wolves were excited to get into this rebellion. Saphira and Eragon exchanged grieved glances, and began to try and intervene. However the mention of a name forced them to listen further.

"But sir, what of the Kerl Luna?" a lone female wolfs voice rang out above the crowd. Their cheers were swiftly replaced by grunts and quiet thought over this. Eventually their murmurs were once again put to silence by the Alpha's paw.

"My dear Evasen, you worry too much. So what of the banished Kerl? How can she possibly stand up to a few hundred of our strongest wolves?"

"I heard from the crows that she's managed to stop a few of Kain's attacks," she replied grimly. The Alpha looked at her with dark eyes, staring at her coldly before shaking his head and returning to his bandwagon-inspiring tone.

"So what if a Kerl proved to be a little inconvenience in our war?" He asked rhetorically. "Besides, she is all the way down at the mountains of Achler, no where near us. She may be as fast as moonlight, but no magic in the world could get her here fast enough. My warlords, split the pack. We leave for attack now!"

The Alpha threw his head back in a howl before the wolves began organizing themselves. Pretty soon seven different teams of a little more than 25 were formed.

"This is madness, we must do something!" Eragon quietly whispered to himself. He had put up with enough sitting and waiting, and felt the need to go down there and put an end to this, once and for all. He grabbed his sword, turned to mount Saphira... '_Wait, Saphira? Where are you?'_

He soon heard the panicked barks of many of the wolves in the meeting circle. He turned to look and witnessed Saphira flying about the wolves, spewing fire above their heads and roaring angrily. She swooped down and released a fury of flames, creating a wall of fire stopping them from their paths. She landed near with baring fangs, muscles tense and tail alert. Eragon gracefully dropped from the ledge which they were hiding from and unsheathed Brisingr, ready for battle.

All of the wolves held very confused faces, never having expected a dragon to spontaneously appear and scare them out of their coats. The Alpha, however, remained collected and unflinching. He casually had watched the entire scene occur, and now jumped from his perch, sitting on his behind and licking his paws.

"And what brings you two to our private meeting?" He asked cooly. The Alpha averted his gaze from his mundane task to glare at Eragon with his cold, fiery red eyes.

_'I am Saphira Brightscales, daughter of Iormunger and Vervada, and this is my human rider Eragon."_

"I am pleased to meet you, Saphira Brightscales," he bowed, obviously ignoring Eragons presence. "I am Ivailo leader of this pack of wolves. It is an honour, to have a dragon among our midst. Where have you come from, my dear Saphira?"

"The land Alagaesia from the south," she replied.

"Very interesting, indeed. I hadn't known any dragons were left there." Ivailo looked over at the fall of flames Saphira have created. "So, I take it you intend to stop us?"

Saphira only nodded to this, a deep growl emanating from the depths of her belly. Eragon swung his sword around impatiently. "What your doing is wrong. You have no right to hurt innocent-"

"You have no right to talk to me you filthy bastard human!" Ivailo spit angrily. Saphira roared and leaped at him, pinning him to the ground. _'You have NO RIGHT to talk to him that way. Do you UNDERSTAND!' _she roared. Ivailo looked at her, totally unscathed by the whole situation.

"The only thing I fail to understand," he said coldly, "is how you can possibly live with a creature of such abomination."

Saphira eyed him angrily. _'I could kill him Eragon. I could end his life right now and live a perfectly happy life.'_

_'We still need him, Saphira,'_ Eragon mentally sighed. He walked up to Ivailo, pointing his blade towards his brown-pelted throat. Some of the higher ranks of wolves began to close in on the three, but Eragon raised a hand and, whispering a few words, created an impassable shield around them.

"We need information, and you seem to possess it. What can you tell us about Kain?"

"I don't need to explain anything to a hum-" Saphira clenched her claws around his throat and he began to choke. "Why should I tell you anything? You know nothing about us.

"Kain is a white wolf possessing great powers, brother of Luna the black wolf with equally great powers. Kain is holding some rebellion against the humans and Luna is trying to find him. I know this because we travelled with Luna."

Gasps filled the crowd as these words left his mouth. Even Ivailo held a look of disbelief for a brief moment.

"Kain is a great and powerful leader," he spoke slowly. "He will take back this land and return it to the wolves. He is surrounded by great mystical power and cannot be stopped. By anyone."

Eragon stared him down for a moment, taking in his words and deciding their truth. "What sorts of powers?"

"He has more power than a thousand wolves, more speed than the birds. He can control the world to his will, and control the minds of others."

This surprised Eragon. Up until now, he had been basing his expectations on Kain based on what he'd seen of Luna, and even then he wasn't sure if Kain would have magical powers. '_This wolf seems to be more dangerous than we thought,'_ he shared. _'Indeed he sounds as it. But let's not forget who he's up against.'_

Eragon began to lower his blade before thinking of a last question. "What do you know of Luna?"

Ivailo gave Eragon a long, hard stare. "She is Kerl for a reason."

With a nod from Eragon, Saphira let go of Ivailo. He quickly jumped back on his perch while Saphira and Eragon turned away. _'Come, let's go. We can stay at the town of Hearth tonight to make sure they do not attack.' _Saphira told Eragon, as he was about to mount her.

"What, leaving so soon?" Ivailo's voice boomed from behind. Saphira turned her massive head and was instantly greeted by the bodies of several lethal wolves on her face. Saphira roared angrily as she began to claw at the wolves who were quickly jumping on top of her.

"Saphira!" Eragon screamed, unsheathing Brisingr and quickly running to her, only to be stopped by another wolf jumping on top of him. Eragon hit the ground with a thud as the wolf pinned him to the floor, fangs snarling and hungry drool dripping down onto his face. Using all of his might, Eragon flipped the wolf off of him and quickly scampered to his feet, taking his blade and slashing at the wolves. He injured one, but three more took it's place, and then three more for those three. They were out numbered and he knew it. Wolves of all coats, shapes, and sizes, all angry, all snarling, all hungry, all staring at him and Saphira.

With a final angry roar, Saphira let out a jet of flames, engulfing several wolves as they whimpered in pain. Following suit, Eragon yelled out the word "Brisingr!", his sword instantly erupting in flames and backing off all the wolves around them.

The two of them stood there at the edge of the fray, the wolves staying back away from fear of the flames.

_'Perhaps this would be a good time to fly out of here,'_ Eragon suggested nervously.

_'Perhaps,'_ and Eragon promptly jumped on her back.

"You can't stop this war by trying to win a few meaningless battles," Ivaoli's voice rang strong with pride. "With numbers we are strong, and we cannot be stopped!"

_'This wolf is really getting on my nerves,'_ Saphira commented angrily. She leaped up and took flight, making sure to shoot a couple fireballs into the crowd, and one at Ivaoli. In a matter of seconds they were high in the sky, far away from the danger of the battle.

_'I suppose that didn't go exactly as planned, did it?'_ Eragon said once they were safely away.

_'No, it didn't. We have learned much though.'_

_'Yes. Especially that these wolves can be stronger than we thought.'_

_'They are loyal to their Alpha,'_ Saphira commented._ 'Their loyalty makes them persistent, even to the point of death.'_

_'Setting them all on fire wouldn't work either,' _Eragon joked. _'Besides, your flame wouldn't last long enough.'_

_'Hey! I'll have you know my fire has improved significantly in the past few months!'_ she revolted. Eragon only chuckled and hugged his dragon. Their battles were yet from over, however Eragon still enjoyed his time with his beloved Saphira, even if their initial vacation never really turned out.

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**Hey All. It's been a bit since an authors note right? **

**This chapter turned out much longer. Trying to get back into my regular stride of about 2K words a chapter. Not entirely sure how this one came out; partly because i'm tired and it's now 5am. Hopefully it's good? Tried to make it interesting. Could probably work on the ending, maybe I will tomorrow.**

**What do you guys think of this so far? I have no idea because no one has reviewed :p Don't worry, the story will definitely get better. For this I have a notebook with a plan written down. And a Plot point that will come up much later that I've always wanted to do. Always. So much to the point that after I'll write another Eragon Saphira story with the same point, but that the main focus. It'll be good 3**

**Anyways, I'd like some reviews please :D I hope your enjoing this. Going to try for a chapter a night, we'll see how that goes. Kay?**

**~Dragnerz**


	5. 4: Akura at last

**Chapter 3:** Akura, at last!

_'I am starting to believe you are becoming too over confident, little one.'_

Saphira's sudden condescending words broke through the half a days silence. They had flown following the Ariizont river, and flew over the vista town of Spring Falls overlooking a lake from a cliff, all in silence. The journey had really begun to grow them weary, and they were glad to be finally entering the Akura mountain range; residing within the capitol of the land and their destination. However reaching the city was not their only goal. Eragon had heard word of a figure matching Galbatorix's description to have been heading for this very same mountain range but a month ago. After a month of travelling though, Eragon worried he might have already left for somewhere else. _At the very least, we will be able to find a new lead at this town,_he thought with optimism.

Saphira on the other hand slowly felt more and more uneasy, and Eragon was beginning to become worried. He knew she worried for him, and that images of their last battle with the king still stung her mind. This is why Eragon felt no surprise when she began to nitpick at his fighting performances.

_'How so?'_ he asked, trying to plan ahead his argument,figuring out what she was referring too.

_'That last battle. With the wolves.'_

Eragon cocked his head. _'What was wrong with that battle? I thought it went pretty well. We won, did we not?'_

_'Barely!' _she retorted with a snort_. 'That fight became well out of hand and you know it. We were sloppy. __YOU were sloppy.'_

_'Me? I got jumped on; I wasn't expecting that. But did I not recover instantly?' _he asked.

_'The recovery was fine, little one. Your fighting was fine. It's not what you were doing that was wrong.'_

_'Then what was my problem?' _he asked calmly. Saphira shook her head slightly, and sighed, before returning to her mother-like voice.

_'Do you not have wards?' _she asked. _'Do you not know magic? Those wolves should have never taken us by surprise, yet they did. How did this happen, Eragon?'_

Eragon sighed and shrugged, knowing his err on his part. _'I didn't have any wards up.'_ Saphira just shot him an angry glare from her right eye.

_'That's right, you didn't. Would you mind telling me why?'_

_'We haven't come across many people, or stay at any settlements at all in the last month,' _ he explained. _'Nor from that, since we came to this land I haven't found any need to use much magic at all. I just really had not thought we needed to bother with such things for wolves, none the less.'_

Saphira shook her head again, her voice calming as a mother soothing her child. _'Never underestimate your enemy, little one,' _she warned. _'These wolves pose just as much a threat as any. You mustn't let your guard down, even with the empire gone. We still have enemies.'_

_'I'm sorry Saphira, I'll be more careful from now on.'_

_'Good!' _she said, now happy and obviously having gotten her mind off of her worries. _'Now I believe the city is just ahead, so let's go see for ourselves.'_

Eragon looked ahead and could see the lights of the city emanating against the surrounding mountain walls. The city itself sat on a large plateau around a large moat, nestled in a crook within the heart of the dark, moss and tree-covered mountains. Some of their peaks rose high above the clouds, forcing Eragon to squint from the sun to even barely make them out. Great walls surrounded the city, a large drawbridge being the only entrance for land mammals. A river, which Eragon presumed to be the start of the Ariiozont river, flowed out of a mountain and in different veins past the city, one passing directly under it and exiting at the foot of the plateau. Eragon could make out the tops of buildings over the wall, including one that seemed as though it were a church, and one resembling a fortress or castle, towering above all else. Judging by their size, Eragon could imagine how large it must be inside those walls. The two found a spot to take refuge just outside the walls, at the bottom of a small cliff where they could not be seen and could formulate a plan.

_'How long will you be in there?'_ Saphira asked anxiously. She never liked the idea of being separated from Eragon, as he _always_ got into some form of trouble.

_'Just a day or two,'_ he told her, reassuringly. _'I just need to talk to the king, and go through some gossip points like the bar, or town square. It won't take long. I'll be safe.'_

Saphira shot him a glare. _'You'd better be safe,'_ she warned. Eragon chuckled and rubbed his hand on her head.

Eragon grabbed his equipment and looked onward to the rustling city. After spending so much time with Saphira these past few months, he felt sad that he would now have to leave her for a few days. Even before when he went into Ritafalls, Eragon had intended to be back for the night. However now, he had to leave his best friend behind.

_'I'm going to miss you Saphira,'_ he said sadly. The blue dragon looked at him with a gleaming Sapphire eye. _'Don't worry, little one. I wont be too far behind.'_

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Eragon walked into town at dusk among a group of travellers, all eager to rent a nice inn and have somewhere warm to stay. Life was bustling here in this metropolis of a city. The streets were well kept, and well lit. Even if it weren't for the lamps, the atmosphere of the people in this town would have kept things bright. Everybody in the town seemed to be very happy.

Strangely enough, Eragon found this disturbed him. Given the situation of their kingdom, he really did not think this would be the attitude of the people of this land. When the Empire had been terrorizing the people of Alagaesia, no town matched this level of peacefulness. _But here, where armies of wolves are slaughtering all your people, town by town, beyond reason, these people feel nothing?_ Eragon shook his head. Clearly things were different here than in Alagaesia.

Unfortunately Eragon wasn't paying attention at all during this thought and managed to walk into somebody.

"Ough, hey! Watch where you are going!" a mans voice croaked.

Eragon had stumbled and caught himself falling, so he had not even seen who he'd run into. Standing up, he saw the man stood a bit taller than he did, topped with short brown hair, stubble on his face, and boy of an axemen.

"Oh, sorry, I must have tripped." Eragon quickly apologized.

"Eh, that's okay. No harm done. Hey, you don't seem to be from around here, are you?" Eragon shook his head at the question. "No? Well I'll be! It's not too often we get visitors around here. Just the usual group over there in front of the inn. Why don't I show ya around?"

Eragon began to decline, but the man grabbed his arm and started pulling him around too quickly. Before he knew it, he was going straight through the town square. It was a large area, with a lush green park, ponds, and a fountain in the middle. The surrounding buildings were skyscrapers compared to the others at the entrance, and there was even a bard playing his lute beautifully on a bench. _This place is bigger than I thought!_

"I see you've taken an interest in Phillecio," the man said, gesturing to the bard. "Ah, I remember when he was just a young little lad. Quite the kid! Always with that damned lute of his. Used to drive us up the walls with that racket. But now? Look at him! He's a Ferhur performer! Travels all through the towns, playing his songs. Still annoying sometimes if you ask me, but he's a good kid."

"That's really-" Eragon began to say, but was quickly cut off by his pointing arm.

"See this here? This is our blacksmith. Need some weapons? Armor? Swords? Shields? Pump-action semi-automatic crossbows? We got them here!"

"Wait, what's a semi-automa-"

"Look, and here's ol' Jim and his grand bookstore!"

This routine continued for an hour. Eragon learned that the name of the town was Akura capitol, and the river he noticed before actually flowed directly through the town, exiting underground just before the western end by the gate. However before he knew it, Eragon knew the whereabouts of the blacksmith, tailor, inn, bookstore, town square, fishing hole, church, chapel, prison, confiderary hole, barracks, Lucy's family restaurant, Mark's barely legal diner, apothecary, art dealership, pawn shop, hanging stand, auction house, the main castle, and the confidential square of illusionists demise for the criminally insane with bad fortunes (which was just a white box drawn on the ground). When Eragon asked what that was for, the man just shrugged and looked somewhere else.

Finally, his tour seemed to come to a close when they stopped in front of _The Snaggletooth_, seemingly a bar of some sorts.

"Well, we're pretty much done. And what better way than to end this off with a drink at dusk, right? Come on in." The man pushed his way through the doorway, nodding a hello to the bartender and taking a seat. Eragon followed closely, taking a seat beside him. He began to order a drink, but the man beside him said he already took care of it.

"Relax!" he said. "You're in a good town. You're in safe hands. Just kick back and enjoy!" The drinks came at the moment and the man took his glass, chugging down a healthy portion. Eragon eyes his darkened glass of alcohol sparingly, taking a sniff of it's odour before taking a sip. To his surprise, he found the drink to be quite tasteful, and helped himself to a few more drinks of it. The man apparently found this amusing because he began to laugh quietly to himself.

"Hey, thank you for showing me around. I really appreciate it." Eragon spoke true in his words, and the mans face told Eragon he understood his gratitude. "I don't even know your name."

"Gareth," he said. "And you?"

"Eragon. I've come travelling from the southern continent of Alagaesia."

"From the south!" the man exclaimed. "My, you've come a long way!"

The two spent the next few hours drinking and telling stories, getting to know each other. Eragon even began to find that he wasn't always so annoying, if still a bit talkative. Of course, Eragon left out all parts about dragons, and the elves, but he found no problem speaking of the dwarves. Eragon learned that the Akura Mountain range was actually home to many dwarves. _I wonder why Orik never spoke of this_, he wondered.

All through this night, Eragon began to realize the distinct feeling that there were some entity watching him. At first he assumed, being a newcomer, people questioned him and his reasoning for being here. However after a few hours he felt sure that it was a single being, and that this person had not taken their gaze away from the two.

Eventually, this person got up from their seat and began to walk towards him. Anticipating this, Eragon turned to meet their gaze.

To his surprise this person was a female, no more the age of him. She had long brown, beautiful hair, and sapphire blue eyes. She wore a leather and cloth outfit, lightly armoured and tailored to wrap fittingly around her body, and wore a long elven bow slung over he shoulders. _I must admit, she is quite beautiful,_ Eragon said to himself, almost feeling bewitched by her appearances. The woman did not appear at all surprised that Eragon had turned to look at her when she got up, which worried Eragon, but could sense no threat of danger from her. Nevertheless, he stayed alert, prepared for anything.

"You've been watching me." He said simply. The girl only smiled.

"I see you've noticed me. I must apologize." The girl gave a small bow, and sat down beside him. He was about to say something, when Gareth began laughing and clapping.

"Wow, only here a day and already you're swooning our women. You, my friend, deserve a medal!" He picked up Eragon's hand and forced him a high five. In his mind, however, he was almost in disbelief. _I'm beginning to realize.. that this man is very naive..._

The girl began to chuckle too. "Now let's not get ahead of ourselves, that's not at all why I'm here."

"Why _are_ you here, then?" Eragon asked, very curious about this strange woman.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk," she said, a sly smile growing on her lips. This put Gareth into another hysterical fit, much to Eragon's dismay.

"Alright, this is getting too hot for me. I better head home. If you need me, Eragon, you know whereabouts I live!" Gareth yelled, walking out the door. _Yes, and where you keep your keys. He's lucky I'm not a thief, although I wouldn't be surprised if that's happened before._

"So," the woman said, leaning closer, "how about we get to know each other, hm?" The devilish look on her face began to make Eragon feel uneasy. "What do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"Come on, you know we don't have to pretend. Is there anyone else in the picture? You seem like the single, hungry boy type."

"Who are you?" Eragon asked, just about ready to cast a memory-erasing spell and leave.

"Oh, you know me," she giggled, brushing her hair back with her hand. Eragon was in total shock. He had barely spent a day here, and he was bombarded by a talkative insistent man, and now had this woman trying to go home with him. _It seems like Saphira was right, again,_ he sighed. He was tired, he just wanted to sleep. _I don't know what to do!_ His mind went into a panicked state. He'd never had to deal with a situation like this, and frankly he hadn't wanted to. Eragon could barely even manage to look into the woman's deep, sapphire eyes- _Wait a minute._

Eragon looked deep into her eyes. Confused, he cocked his head while reaching into her mind. Finally, after a few seconds, he finally asked. "...Saphira?"

Saphira dropped to the floor and fell into a fit of laughter, Eragon dumbfounded of the whole situation. "You should have seen your face!" she cried. Eragon didn't know what to worry about more; the fact that Saphira was now human, or that a dragon just tried to come onto him.

"Saphira... what?... how?..."

Saphira picked herself up from the floor and sat back on the chair. "THAT turned out much better than expected," she said, still gasping.

"How are you human, Saphira?" Eragon demanded, still very, **very** confused.

Saphira's eyes gleamed at Eragon mischievously. "Luna showed me some tricks," she winked. "Although for herself, she could only maintain this form for a few days. Me being a dragon and having access to vasts amounts of magic, I can stay like this however I want!" She exclaimed, using her arms. She accidentally knocked Eragon's empty glass over, and he then began to become suspicious.

"Saphira... have you been drinking?" he asked. She looked over to him and said "Oh it was just one. I was bored waiting for you. Also this human body is making me think a bit differently. I'm probably just not used to this yet."

Eragon began to reply, but then took a second to notice all of the people in the bar. All of the open ears, ready to hear anything.

"Perhaps we should rent a room?" He suggested. Saphira nodded and they both got up to leave. Eragon left some gold for the bar tender for his beer, and they both went out the door.

Outside, dusk had well gone and past. The street torches were lit for the night, and few people littered the streets. The moon lit up small slits of rain as it lightly patted against the cobblestone flooring, little else heard save for the noise from the bar.

"You know, it's rather strange being in the body of a human," Saphira observed, looking at her hands with wonder. "It feels so clumsy and awkward."

Eragon nodded, and then gestured to his bow on her back, now recognizing it."And I ask why you have my bow?"

Saphira grabbed it and pretended to cock it as if she had an arrow. "I thought it'd make me blend in more easily. Besides, it's not like I can't use it. I was there for your training as well, and know your muscle patterns." She pretended to release an arrow, performing quite gracefully.

"Alright. How about why you are here?" asked Eragon. "I am not complaining, but what compelled you to come follow me?"

"So many questions!" she teased, following with a sigh. Saphira looked at him with a hint of sadness through her flowing brown hair. "Every time you've gone into a town, I've had to wait behind. Waiting for you to return. Hoping nothing happened and you didn't start any fights." She teased him by ruffling his hair, but Eragon could tell that she really didn't like the feeling she got when they were separated. He always had, and always felt guilty for leaving her behind.

"So now you don't **have** to feel guilty for leaving me behind!" she exclaimed happily.

"Hey! What did I say about that mindsdropping thing!" came Eragon, taking a miss-shot at Saphira. Both of them laughed, and hugged, and laughed some more on their way to the inn. Being able to be together now, even closer with their rough housing and playfulness, Eragon felt happy. He felt like he really could really connect with Saphira, with her in his perspective, even more so than they were before.

The two checked into the inn, and quietly made their way to their room. They were given a single bed, large enough for both, a desk, and a window with a view of the street and the moon. Eragon stared out at the large glowing ball as Saphira began to change out of her clothing. _This really is turning out to be a great day,_ he thought happily.

Unfortunately, it seems, good things don't last forever.

**"Alert! Alert! All West-end Guards to the gate! Archers, on the wall!"**

Eragon looked down at the streets to see many city guards rushing to positions. His mind perplexed as to what was going on as Saphira walked up beside him, apparently having stopped changing and putting her armour back on.

"I suppose bringing your bow and quiver was a good idea then," she exclaimed, handing him his sword.

**"Check the river! East-end, secure the River! North and South, prepare for attack!"**

**"Captain! It's the wolves! They've come for Akura! Everyone, prepare for attack!"**

Eragon sighed and jumped out down from the window, Saphira following suite. "I suppose we need to deal with this," he exasperated, unsheathing his blade.

"Don't worry Eragon, you'll get your sleep." she chuckled in return, readying Eragon's bow with an arrow.

* * *

**Yay! New chapter! I'm slowly making them longer. Good? :)**

**So, be honest. Did you see that coming? I tried not to give any hints, but some were inevitable. I'm hoping you didn't realize it until Eragon did .  
But other than that, good chapter? The next will be more fight-based. Saphira tries her hand at fighting as a human, Eragon does some awesome stuff, and plot developments! Much.**

**Basically, if you remembered from the last story, Eragon was told to look for Galby in Akura mountains. **

**...right before everything caught on fire :p But nonetheless!**

**So yeah, reviews help; i'd like to know how you guys think the story is going so far, any idea's for things that should happen, or even any characters! Want to help me add characters to this! They help me write this faster :)**

**Well, until next chapter,**

******~Dragnerz**


	6. 5: Storm the fort!

Sorry, accidentally made the author notes really long, raising the word count. it's really like 2,300 words. No I'm not editing; deal. Also, any errors please tell me. I still gotta edit chapter 4 _

Enjoy! :D

**

* * *

Chapter 5**: Storm the fort!

"**Hold the gates! Hold the gates! We CANNOT let them through!"**

The guard captain's deep, hoarse voice rose over seas of panic and angry snarls coming over the walls. All of the guards hurried to get into proper position, obviously having prepared for this attack and rehearsed their layout. Most of the guards readied their weapons at the front gates, however lines of men stood guard at the river, obviously accounting for the town's vulnerabilities. _Why don't they just close the river?_ Eragon wondered curiously. He did not see any point in not creating some sort of defence through the river in the case of an attack. _Obviously it's a threat if there are so many guards, but it perplexes me why they haven't done anything to protect themselves through it._

"They do have a defence system for the river, but the gate is stuck," Saphira explained, inexplicably talking without the aid of their connection.

_'Saphira, why are you talking out loud?' _Eragon was already walking away, intending to speak with the captain of the guard.

_'I've never had a voice before, little one. It's interesting.'_ Saphira sounded amused. Eragon guessed that being in a human body was more entertaining for her than he originally thought.

Eragon noticed an eerie silence begin to fall over the city. Just a few moments before, the angry snarls of the wolves could clearly be heard. However these sounds slowly became more distant, and the guards hushed. Now, only the footsteps of the restless could be heard, in anticipation for the attack.

Finally, Eragon found the guard captain. He wore dark, heavy armour, and was tailored in red, obviously matching the flag of this city. His armour looked as though it were significantly more durable however. He wore a deep red thick cloak which covered his head, hiding the captains face. From afar however, the man looked to be very powerful, and very proud from his voice and the way he held his body.

"Status report Johan!" he barked as a soldier quickly ran up to him.

The man seemed slightly nervous, and stumbled with his words. Eragon guessed this might be one of his first actual battles. "We've sealed off all exits, including the river."

"Excellent, Johan. Any signs of the wolves?

"No sir. None yet sir."

The captain grunted in frustration. "I know those pesky rodents are out there... Stay on alert!"

"Yes sir!" Johan exclaimed as he ran off.

"Excuse me, sir?" Eragon walked up to the captain as the guard Johan left. He turned around to face Eragon, revealing a sturdy scarred face. He held his brow in a furrow, and a worried look in his eyes. The man gave another grunt as he eyed Eragon, observing him, his weapon, and his strength by his appearance. Eragon scanned over his mind quickly, but learned of no ill intent by him.

"Huh. What do you want?" He asked with his scruffy voice.

"Me and my... my sister, yes, Saphira, we heard of the attack, and we've come to help."

"Huh. I don't have time to be teaching some kids to fight right now. Go back home." The man gave Eragon another grunt and began to turn away. Eragon unsheathed his sword and held it by his side with control, attempting to show his seriousness.

"We know how to fight. We've dealt with these wolves before, and we know how to handle them. Let us help you."

The man grunted again, nodded, and walked towards the gate. _Well that was a waste of time,_ Eragon thought with frustration. He walked back to Saphira, his hand on his sword hilt, ready for an attack. It had already been ten minutes since the town became dead silent, and the suspense began to get to him.

_'Any sign of the wolves?'_ Eragon asked Saphira, still on edge.

_'No little one. I do not know where they are. Perhaps-'_

Saphira's thought was cut off by a ear-piercing howl from above. Everyone covered their ears and looked up. Atop the chapel tower stood a large wolf, a dark silhouette behind the moon. It was large and powerful, and as it jumped down to the ground level, more wolves began to jump down from the walls.

"**They've climbed over the walls! Guards, defend Akura!"**

Eragon and Saphira stood motionless, staring at the wolf who had leaped from the tower. It's deep red, glowing eyes stayed unwavering from their gaze, eyeing both with interest. It's white coat shimmered in the moonlight, muscles tensing underneath.

_'Saphira, could that be...'_

"So you are the ones who've been meddling around, I presume," a males voice came, low and collected. "Ivailo told me of your interferences. Strange, I thought he'd told me you were with a dragon."

"Kain." Saphira called, voice raising in anger. "What you are doing is wrong. You've no right to slaughter innocent people."

"By whose law?" he challenged. Four wolves leaped out from behind them at Saphira. She raised her bow to defend herself, knocking one to the ground but being over run. Two guards came rushing to help, taking on the other two wolves, while Eragon quickly rushed over to attack the one on top of Saphira. Using the blunt end of his hilt, Eragon knocked the wolf down and slashed at its leg, leaving a deep gashing wound as it whimpered and scampered away.

_'Thank you, little one,'_ she replied as Eragon helped her up. They both looked back to the chapel, only to see Kain had already left. _After all this time, and he get's away,_ he thought angrily. As Saphira got onto her feet, one of the guards came over and handed Saphira his blade.

"Take this; you seem to have a need for it than I do" he said as he pulled out an axe from his hilt.

"Thank you, kind soldier of Akura." Saphira swung the blade in her hand, gaining a feel for her new weapon. "We had better split up to cover more ground."

"Are you sure that is a good-" Saphira cut Eragon off by covering his mouth with her hand.

_'No arguing,'_ she commanded with a smile. _'I'll be fine. You go and help the others on the other end of the city.'_

Eragon nodded, and turned to run towards the gates, only to be instantly met by three dark wolves.

"You do not want to fight me," he beckoned. The wolves only snarled in disgust, and launched themselves at him. Eragon dodged one with a sidestep and jabbed his sword into the seconds shoulder. The wolf let out a cry of pain, the other wolf barking angrily and jumping at Eragon, aiming it's fierce fangs at his arm. He kicked the wolf in the air with his boot and smacked it across the head, knocking the wolf out. The first wolf jumped on his back, but Eragon elbowed it in the stomach knocking it off. Taking his sword out of the second wolf, Eragon slayed the last wolf.

He began to look around and quickly noticed the losing battle of the Akura soldiers versus the wolves. _Always up to me,_he grunted. Eragon waved his hand with his Gedwey ignasia, silently speaking the word '_naina!'._ A bright light released from his palm, blinding all those around him, both humans and wolves. Taking his blade in hand, Eragon quickly began taking down the attacking wolves in their moment of confusing, slaying at least seven before the eighth regained it's sight and dodged his swing.

The wolf looked a bit more powerful than the other wolves. In fact, Eragon distinctly remembered this wolf as being one of the higher ranking commanders at the wolves meeting circle the other night. Her words confirmed this.

"Ah, the great Eragon Wolfslayer. Come to fight again, have you?"

"That's **Shade**slayer to you!" he growled angrily. The wolf began to run at Eragon full speed, saliva dripping from her angry powerful jaws as she snarled relentlessly. Eragon raised his hand again, and with a yell of the word '_slytha!'_ the wolf dropped to the floor, falling into deep sleep._ That was easy,_ he thought happily, running down the alley to the town square before the gates. He could see that there was a large battle underway there. _Which makes sense, as it's the largest-_

Eragon's thought was interrupted suddenly by a wolf, jumping onto him and knocking him through the window of a house.

His world of vision turned to darkness as he fell on the hard wood floor. He could feel the wolf jump off of him and run off, snickering. Eragon raised to his feet, grabbing his sword and trying to see in the darkness. _I cannot see a thing!_ He exclaimed silently to himself. Raising his blade, he whispered _'garjzla iet sverd!'. _Instantly, a bright white light began to emanate from his sword, illuminating the entire room. Eragon figured this way he wouldn't set the house on fire.

Waving his blade as a lamp, he looked around the house, searching for the wolf. He could hear the padding of the wolves paws, but whenever he turned to look, the wolf was gone. _This is ridiculous, _he exasperated, losing his patience quickly. Stretching out his mind, he began to search for the conscience of the wolf. However, to his surprise he found an alarming number of over ten, all waiting and watching beyond the light of his blade in the darkness. He began to hear them growl in hunger and anticipation, waiting for the time to strike. _They're playing with me,_ he realized. _Well, two can play._ Whispering _'stenr risa!'_, he lifted a small rock which had found its way into the house with his mind, keeping it steady and ready for when the wolves decided to attack. This gave him an idea, however. Steering the rock, he smacked the rock hard into the head of the farthest wolf, making sure to not seem as though he were doing anything. Eragon heard a loud _thud_ and whimper as the rock made contact, and few wolves nearby turned to investigate. He used the rock to smack another one, and then another, creating much confusion.

"The man is a wizard! He's controlling the rock!" one exclaimed.

"Kill him now!" The wolves all ran at him. Eragon yelled _'brisingr!'_and his blade erupted in flames as he readied his blade. These wolves had already seen this once before, however, and did not falter. He quickly became locked in combat, desperately trying to keep the wolves off from all directions. It did not help that he knew where the wolves are; there were too many to take on. Eragon killed one, two, three, but more wolves came in from the windows, obviously hearing their barks and howls of distress. _'Letta!'_he yelled, pointing his blade at the windows. Six wolves stopped dead in their tracks, yet more wolves came behind them. _There are too many!_ he thought angrily.

"YARGGG!" Came a voice, barging through the front door. Eragon turned to look to see a man come rushing full blast at the battle, madly swinging a battleaxe. The wolves turned too, and Eragon used this moment of distraction to take down a few of the wolves. The man came behind him to join, and to his surprise it was Gareth!

"What are **YOU** doing here?" Eragon asked, punching a wolf flat in the face that tried to take out his eye.

"Getting in the fun! It's been ages since i took Sasha for a spin!"

"You **NAMED** your axe?" Eragon asked in bewilderment. Gareth was too busy slashing at the wolves to hear him though. The two of them fought onward, taking down over thirty wolves. All through the battle Gareth's battle cries could be heard, raging and screaming through the chaos. "Run cowards!" he yelled, slashing at one of the last few wolves. Eragon could only think about how vicious this man who had seemed so peaceful and simple had become.

Finally the battle was over. Gareth swung his axe over his shoulder and laughed. "Ahaha, it looks like I got here just in time! I didn't know you knew magic, you bugger!"

"Yes, thank you," Eragon exclaimed his gratitude. "I didn't know you could fight so. Now we should get back out there."

"Yes, let's have some more fun!"

Eragon started for the door, but Gareth's large arm shot out to block the way.

"I'm afraid you're too late, I've already taken care of the town's square." Eragon looked through the window to find a field of remains. "But I hear there's quite the party at the gates. I say we go there!" Gareth lowered his arm and quickly jumped out the nearest window, starting to run down the street. "Don't be too long; I don't want to steal **ALL** the fun!"

Eragon sheathed his blade and climbed out of the same window into the alley. Looking behind him, he saw the result of a massive battle, littered with wolf bodies and few of the guards. He remembered how just a few moments ago, it seemed as though the guards were loosing that battle. Eragon shuddered as he turned around.

"That man scares me. He really does." he thought, as he began to run back to the main gates.

* * *

**Well, finally finished chapter five. Sorry that took so long.**

**I don't know why, but it was difficult for me to get this chapter going. Once I got into the fighting it was okay. I guess it was just awkward getting into it from nothing. Probably shoulda started the chapter with the fighting already going on.**

**Also I didn't do the whole battle like I originally intended, meaning this is going to stretch out to the next chapter. This ruins my plans and means that this first Part for this story is going to be 8 chapters at least now.**

**Yeah. 8 chapters. I have it already planned out. It WAS seven, but I messed that up now :p oh well..**

**Anyways the fighting was fun. I liked all the magic I incorporated into this. I think I'll be using more of that :) So far, I haven't had to make up any words. Yes, all the magic words are straight out of the back of my Brisingr book! :D**

Well, until the end. I found a guide on Shur' for the Ancient language for the pronouns and stuff. I can give you a link if you ask nice :)

Other than that, I hope this chapter was okay. I have a feeling it wasn't, so I have to make up for it next chapter. **Any ideas?** I can give you a free oppourtunity to choose something you want to happen. Well, if it's stupid like "Eragon gets AIDS!1!" or "Aliens take over Saphira's brainz and turn everyone to zombies, and Eragon has to hide in the sewer!" or some random stuff, I'm obviously going to say no. Real suggestions, please! :P

That's it. I'm done. hopefully next chapter tomorrow. Working on 2 Day maximum waiting for chapters. :)

Oh. and **REVIEW**


	7. 6: The Flames of Battle

Chapter 6:

**The Flames of Battle**

Saphira raised her blade and struck the incoming wolf as it dashed towards it, slaying it as it fell limp to the side. Behind her three more were ready for battle, but Saphira quickly sidestepped behind her and slashed at them too. The wolves jumped back in fear of her blade. Using their hesitation, Saphira quickly jabbed at two with lightning-fast speed, slaying them in their wake.

The third wolf ran back to safe distance and snarled. He growled angrily at the human dragoness for killing his brethren.

"How **dare** you, human!" it spat. "At least kill with **dignity!**"

"Oh, and you have been killing likewise?" she taunted. The wolf barked at her, but regained its composure. It fixed his stature and stood up proud again.

"Hmph! You'll regret this." The wolf turned and quickly ran away. Saphira began to run after it, but more wolves jumped in to block her path. _These creatures do not give up,_ she thought, impressed by their devotion. Taking her blade, she swiftly jumped on them, slaying the first with ease; the idiot animal had ran right underneath to meet her blade as she fell, while the two others rushed behind. Kicking the bloodied body off, she used the blunt side to push one of the females wolfs claws away. Using her bare free hand Saphira grabbed the wolf by the neck and killed her, tossing the body on the ground.

Before the last wolf even had a second to react Saphira flung her sword at it, but missed by an inch. She cursed and pounced on the wolf, using her body as if she were a dragon. She yelled angrily at the wolf, taking her tensed hand and clawing at the males neck. Unfortunately this did nothing and he flipped her off of him, drool dripping from his fangs as he snarled angrily. She did not waste anytime however and quickly grabbed her blade and swung at him, leaving a gaping wound in his ribs and through his heart. The wolf dropped dead.

Saphira picked her self up and brushed the dirt from her side where she fell. There were still enemies around, but she could sense that at the moment none had her in their intentions. She looked at her hand and sighed. _I really do miss my talons,_ she thought. Saphira in fact missed a lot about being a dragon when battling. Being a human was interesting, but she felt much more comfortable in her natural form. Saphira looked up to the sky, seeing herself in flight, in control of the skies and the world, with envy. This was one thing she felt deeply sorry for Eragon about; how he was burdened to the ground.

_I should really change back,_ she contemplated. There was not enough space where she was, but if she could climb the clock tower just east of her near the main water gate, she'd have plenty of room. Sheathing her rather flimsy sword, Saphira quickly began to climb the nearest two story house, able to get to the top with ease. A benefit of being born of dragon with dragons blood was her increased strength, speed, agility, senses, and everything else, no matter her form. But the tower was still a little further.

Saphira climbed the next house (this time four stories high), and reached the rooftop. However, as she looked back down behind her, she paused as caught glimpse of the wolf that ran away from her from before, talking to some others in an alleyway. Now looking at it, she could see that it was a dark grey timber wolf, with a white underside and fur tinged with wood brown. Saphira became locked in an internal turmoil of her interest and better judgement. _I could change back into my natural dragon form... or, I could take this wolf down first!_ Saphira did not like the idea of being bested by an animal lower than a dragon, no matter her form. And especially not a mutt!

Letting go of the siding of the house, and kicking off with her legs, Saphira jumped down silently, landing with a soft thud behind her enemies at no pain to her. The wolf talking to her target showed a wave of fear in its face as she saw her land, and promptly began to growl at her. The timber wolf turned her body quickly, but relieved her tension when she saw who it was.

"Ah, I see you've survived so far. I'm impressed."Saphira could now tell that the wolfs voice was that of a females. The wolf began to circle her, licking her lips hungrily. "I'm afraid you won't make it much further, unfortunately." The other wolves she was with began to growl as well, circling to surround Saphira. She held her ground, hand on the hilt of her blade, studying the wolves. She was more than certain she could take on all three, but something about the timber wolf put Saphira on edge.

"Who are you?" Saphira asked cautiously. The wolf only laughed. "Why don't you answer that yourself first?" Taking a slow breath, Saphira spoke strongly and clearly. "I am Saphira Brightscales, daughter of Iormunger and Vervada, dragon of Alagaesia." The other two wolves began to laugh with disbelief. "You dare claim to be a **dragon?** You're insane!" The mocked.

The timber wolf eyed Saphira with interest though. "Saphira, hm? Could you perhaps be the same Saphira that visited Ivailo's army the other night?" Saphira nodded. "Yes."

"Well, isn't this a treat! I've had the pleasure of battling personally with a dragon!" The wolf bowed her head, half mockingly. "I am the wolf Pandora, loyal general of Kain."

The mention of Kain's name sparked Saphira's interest further and her eyes widened. "You know of the white wolf Kain? Where is he?"

"Oh, he's around." Pandora's eyes sparkled with her tease, and with that Saphira leaped on her, knocking the wolf to the ground. She fought with all of her strength to hold the wolf back while trying for it's neck. With only two hands however, this proved impossibly, as she already had trouble trying to block Pandora's angry fangs as well. _I really wish I had a tail, _Saphira thought regretfully. Finally, becoming frustrated, Saphira knocked Pandora in her head and quickly jumped back up, unsheathing her blade. She could sense the other two wolves behind her ready to pounce, and in a swift movement struck at their forelegs, disabling both. Down at the end of the alley another grey wolf was running towards her. With a swift change of her weapons, Saphira drew her bow, cocked an arrow she had at her side, and took the wolf down in motion.

_'Rrraaaghr!'_ came a snarl from behind her. Pandora had jumped on Saphira and clung to her back, intending to rip her head off. Anticipating this, Saphira smashed her back into the nearest wall with all her force, ramming the wolf into it as well. Pandora yelped as her body struck the wall and she hit the ground with a thud. Saphira jumped on her again, but this time stabbing her left shoulder with her blade. The wolf screamed in pain as the sword struck through bone and reached the ground, pinning her down. Saphira grabbed the wolfs face, now wrenching in agony, and brought it to her own.

"You should not be so arrogant, little mutt!" she growled. "Especially to those superior."

The wolf coughed as blood left its mouth. "Do you really believe.. to be the superior here?"

A loud screeching roar broke through the noise of battle, and Saphira looked up, very distracted by this sound. She heard another roar let out, and heard the sounds of men screaming in terror. Light erupted from the streets of near the next corner, and more screams erupted as she head the flap of wings above. Saphira stood up, her mind in disbelief, trying to see the source of this. Pads of the paws wolves surrounded her, but she did not care anymore. Her mind was still attempting to wrap around what she was hearing, how it could even be possibly. All this time becoming used to the cold hard fact that she was one of the few last of her kind, and now there might be another?

"Did you really think Alagaesia had the only dragons?" Saphira looked down to her prey, having been helped to have the sword removed and being supported on either side by her wolves. "I think you should go and find your rider now, shouldn't you?"

Saphira looked at the wolf with bewilderment, her mind still roaring in a whirlwind. At the thought of Eragon however, she gained her bearings, and quickly jumped to climb the building. Her battle was insignificant at this point; all she cared about was seeing this sight for herself. Climbing as fast as she could, she made her way to the top of the clock tower, and could see atop all of the town.

She looked all over the rooftops of the town, but she could see nothing. There was evidence of destruction and battle, as there were fire sets and rooftops destroyed, but Saphira could see no dragon. _No!_ She thought angrily. _This is NOT fair! You HAVE to be here!_ Saphira stretched out with all of her mind, but could find no entity, no conscience of a dragon. She cursed with anger, feeling betrayed by the world for being teased with such cruelty.

She began to climb down, furious. A sound caused her to slow down however. She could swear that she head the faint sound of wings. Saphira looked back to the town, yet saw nothing. Before she could turn the other way though, she felt powerful talons grip her body and rip her from the building.

* * *

Eragon had the opportunity to witness Gareth's true skill at the front gates. The man possessed great power, and slayed the wolves with ease. Eragon barely had a chance to do any fighting himself. What more, the man seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

"Ragh!" he yelled, piercing his axe into several wolves at the same time.

Eragon continued to fight, easily slaying the wolves with his blade with control. Finally, after what seemed like an age, the wolves began to retreat.

"**The wolves retreat! The battle's won!**" The morale of the soldiers raised immensely as they realized this, storming through the remaining wolves, and killing the last of them. The men began to rejoice, including Gareth, and they all cheered hurrah. The Akuran guard captain walked over to Eragon, and gave him a slight bow. "I am sorry I underestimated your skill," he spoke sternly.

"Think nothing of it. I'm only glad I could be of help." Even still, Eragon wondered where Saphira could be. _I really hope she's okay,_ he thought with worry. He was about to contact her, but he was interrupted with a screeching roar from above, and the figure of a flying beast above.

At first he thought it was Saphira, demonstrating her power. When he tried to reach her mind however he found nothing. Perplexed, he yelled out her name. The dragon ignored him however and flew to the other side of the city. Releasing another roar, it released a jet of flames into the town square, and Eragon could hear the screams of men burning alive.

"That's not Saphira," Eragon thought out-loud with distress. Gareth turned to look at him, exclaiming "You know that thing?" "Not that one," he replied. The guards were now panicking, running around to try and get in cover, into some kind of building, and most of all get off the streets. Eragon on the other hand began to run after the dragon. He spoke the words _'risa!'_ and quickly rose to the rooftops of the building in front of him. _'Saphira!' _he called out desperately with his mind. He found her conscience atop the clock tower at the other side of the city, but she was too distracted to even notice him. He watched with horror as the dragon being flew in from behind her and grabbed her.

"Saphira!" he yelled, preparing to shoot the dragon down with a ball of fire. It was quick though, and in a flash of speed it had swooped past him and over the main gates, into the forest and mountains.

Eragon climbed down the house and reached the ground, instantly running for the gates. He ran and grabbed Gareth. "Is there a quick exit out through these gates?" He demanded. "What, you're going after that? Yeah, its in the armoury beside the gates." Eragon nodded and quickly ran to the armoury.

He broke through the door to the empty room, stocked full with the city's finest standard weapons. Rows of spears and swords, shields and bows, arrows and maces, and other weapons filled the room. Across these rows on the other side of the room was the exit door. Jumping over the obstructions, Eragon made his way as quickly as possible to the door. Speaking some words of the ancient language, he unlocked the massive door and broke his way through.

Cool air of the night rushed to meet his face as moonlight basked the mountains and treetops in an eerie glow. Eragon looked all around, but could not find where the dragon went anywhere. He began to run, unsure of where he was going, but devoted to finding Saphira and saving her. "Saphira!" he called, both with his voice and mind. He felt a connection, but it was too weak to tell from which direction. Eragon worried relentlessly whether this were from distance or her health.

"_Reeeaaaarrghhhhh"_ Eragon stopped running to listen to the screeching of the dragon again. _I'm sure that came from the north!_ He thought with hope. Using a few spells to increase his speed significantly and to scale the mountain, Eragon began to run to save his dragon from this new threat.

* * *

**Didn't see that curveball coming, did you? :p**

**Wow. it's late. I spent way too long on this. I don't know why, it just took a while. This battle is also being spread out much longer. I suppose reorganization of my plans must have been expected though. Silly me :p**

**Anyways hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned to learn more about this new threat. Who is he/she? Is it purely evil, or good? If evil who does it command under? Kain? Galb? Or another threat? Maybe it's the aliens from mars! :O Just kidding. But seriously, well see. Man, I gotta start keeping a detailed character list. :p**

**As always, reviews are welcome. Like i said before, any ideas for directions or events for this story let me know. I'd love to incorporate others ideas into this :) Or maybe a character idea? I can definitely see it come to life in my story :D**

**~Dragnerz**


	8. 7: The Wrong End of the Claws

**I missed updating the last two day's, I apologize. The main reason is that I was busy visiting family. However I was also thinking, contemplating. See I'd just thrown in a big new idea, a plot-altering element, and I had to make sure I was positive on my intent for it. For starters, I had to make sure I knew the dragon's gender. It's colour, it's name, background family, any possibly allegiances with our factions (Which so far we have 3; Galb, Kain, and Eragon). What was it doing at the city? Why did it burn the soldiers and then kidnap Saphira? I didn't want to do something predictable and boring and not really fun, and more so I wanted to make sure I knew what kind of character it would take on. I wanted it to have it's own identity, not just an extension of Galbs hand or Kains paw, even if it did end up serving under either of them in the end. After two days, I believe I've worked all of this out.**

**Just to clear up any confusion, this first chapter will be told in first person by Saphira's perspective; just by the nature of this situation it seems necessary. Don't tell me I shouldn't do this and it's against writing rules or something. If it works it works. I'll make it work. If its really terrible, well maybe I'll change it.**

**In a way, this is more of an experimental chapter. It's rather long, longest chapter I've written (to put it in perspective, my story A Flame Never Dies is less than a thousand words longer), and I felt like I was really getting into Saphira's character through this. You may feel like she changes a bit as you get to the end, but I feel like that's the point; this is a life changing experience. So don't hate me or anything is what i'm getting at :p**

**Either way, I hope you enjoy this.**

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* * *

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Chapter 7:

**The Wrong End of the Claws**

Wings flapping. Wind blowing. The ground a rolling sea of landscape, churning angrily with waves of hills and points, trees and bush. A roar from above. High in the air, though I've been much higher. But never like this.

Never have I lived through the eyes of a human before. To be all that it is, in its frail strength, muddled intelligence and clumsy agility. So simple yet so complex, so independent yet so dependant on each other for strength and guidance. They are everything they should not be yet still be so. It's so strange. An awkward blip in the continuity of nature, and yet they thrive were they should falter.

I had always looked at them as a sort of lower creature, so simple minded, their bones easy to crush. Not all of them I know, of course. Eragon had and always will be my equal. Yet I must admit I have always felt sorry for him. Burdened by the earth on his slow two feet, chained to the limitations of human. He could be so much more; he has so much potential. But unfortunately fate born him that way, and even with the gift of the dragons, he would always bear that chain.

Yet now, as I look down at the rushing world, helpless in the grasp of claws like which the ones I call my very own, I felt sympathy for their kind. Their weaknesses has never been their fault. They are born this way, born into a harsh world which disfavours them. Yet they make the best with what the can, and through that they've found their strength. I find it quite remarkable how developed they are over all other animals. They should be easy prey for most predators, yet no animal can stand up to them. Well, at least most of the animals, as this dragon has displayed so nicely. The Akuran soldiers barely held their own against a pack of mutts! Bringing in a dragon to fight for them was simply cruel.

I looked down to see the mountainous range of the Akura region flow beneath me once again. The dragons grip was strong, immobilizing me from turning or moving at all._ I don't even know where this dragon is taking me! _Something in me feels frightened, although I'm not sure what or why. Is it because this dragon may very well be taking me to Galbatorix? Am I just scared of the unknown that awaits me? Or am I actually scared of this dragons plans for me? Whether it plans to kill or eat me?

_This is ridiculous; why should I be fearful? I myself am a mighty dragon at heart. There's no reason to be scared, this dragon is one of my own kind! _I assumed it must be the human body, not me, that is reacting this way by instinct. _Unfortunately, this dragon will be able to sense this fear, making me seem weak._

I attempted to reach it's mind and talk to it, but to my surprise found a void. I knew that what I was sensing was the dragon's consciousness, yet it seemed empty. Almost a lack of an entity. What could this mean? Has this dragon built up such a strong defence that it acted almost as a cloak around herself? Or was she simply a mindless body, being controlled by another force? No, that cannot be. A dragon can be killed, but our minds are powerful. Even Galbatorix could not be capable of this.

There was a suddensense of butterflies inside my stomach, as Eragon liked to put it. The dragon swerved off to the side and seemed to begin its descent. _Finally. Now I can put an end to this ridiculousness, once and for all._ I could see that the dragon had picked a nice clearing high in the mountain range, where no one could find us. _There are many tree's encircling this clearing... And there is a freshwater pond as well. Is it intending to sleep he-_

The dragon let go of it's talons as it was descending and I was suddenly plummeting to the ground. I instinctively let out a scream, instantly ashamed of it afterwards. It wasn't that big of a fall, really. Still, as I hit the ground my body felt a shock of pain that seemed to numb me. I felt dizzy, disorientated. I tried to stand but I felt a large force suddenly push me back down to the ground. I tried to move my arms, my legs, my body; nothing. I was completely pinned by this hard force constricting me. I didn't understand, what was doing this? Was it magic? Had the twins caught us? _Wait, no, they're dead. _There was a sound above. A series of grunts. Almost like laughter?

_Oh. Right. The dragon._

_'You're a cute one, aren't you?'_ a voice asked in my head. It was definitely a female's voice. I tried to see her colour, but in this light and with these weak eyes it was impossible.

_'Oh, I didn't break you, did I?' _she asked, almost mockingly.

_I am perfectly fine._ I wasn't going to give her any satisfaction of power.

_'Good! I was a bit worried. I hadn't meant to drop you.'_

_What do you want with me? Why did you take me out of the city and fly me out here?_ She laughed slightly again, possibly to herself.

_'I was watching you fight those wolves through your battle. You saved many other humans, and slew many of the mutts. With such grace and speed too! I was impressed.' _I saw a devilish grin grow on her muzzle as her tone lightened. _'And then I saw you scaling those buildings as if they were nothing! When you got atop the clock tower, I decided to have a little fun with you...'_

_Fun? _I was half curious, half frightened by the meaning of these words. I half expected her to fling me in the air that moment and start tossing me around like a ball. She laughed (I must have made a human expression for this thought) and she shook her head.

_'No no, don't worry. I don't plan to eat you. So far.'_ She winked and I almost felt a shudder down my spine. _'I just wanted to play around with you a bit. Try and scare you. Again, I was impressed.'_ She cocked her head mockingly in a sort of quizzical look. _'You didn't scream at all! Any other human girl I've taken away usually passes out within a minute. Well, you screamed when I dropped you, but I suppose any creature would. Even me, a great dragoness.'_ The dragon shifted her shoulders and stuck out her chest smugly, obviously seeing herself as a much higher being. I could feel her claws tighten and contract my chest, making it harder for me to breath._ Is this what it's like?_ I thought, _to be at the other end of these claws? To be in submission to such a bigger, stronger, more intelligent being? Is this how humans see me?_

_'Oops, sorry, I'm choking you aren't I?' _The dragon lifted her claws, allowing me to breath and move again, and she walk away towards the pond, probably thirsty from the flight. Her body began to glow as the moonlight washed over her body, and I could see that her scales were a deep amethyst colour. Her body was not too much bigger than mine, but she seemed a bit older. _Her scales really are a beautiful colour,_ I thought to myself. It then occurred to me that in front of me was not only a dragon, but a _female_ dragon. She was powerful, fast, nimble with her wings, beautiful, and older. And she was _female_. The realization seemed to strike me with such force that I became dizzy, lost sight as I became absorbed in thought.

Emotions began to swirl inside me as I became increasingly confused on how to handle this. _All this time, I've been the only one. The last female in a dying breed, with few to choose my mate. But now there is another like me? _I didn't know what to feel. On the one hand, not only had a great burden of responsibility been lifted, but I finally had somebody I could truly relate to, somebody that might understand, without being bonded to my mind, what it's like. But on the other hand, I began to feel much more insignificant than I had before. It was the most absurd feeling, but I almost felt sad, even angry, that suddenly I was not the most important being. That suddenly I did not matter as much. _I'm acting ridiculous!_ I thought angrily. _This human body is getting to me. All of these emotions and feelings are a because of this.'_ I told myself. _... I need to change back... But how can I until I get away from her?_

The dragon was still lapping at the water absently. Cautiously, I began to make my way slowly beside her, still absorbed by the beauty of her scales. She did not seem to notice my presence, or didn't care.

_Tell me, dragon.. what is your name? _I asked.

_'My name?'_ she asked. _'What makes you believe I have a name?'_

_All being's have names,_I told her, confident in my words. _From the humans to bears, tree's to plants, mice to wolves, and of course dragons. All beings are given names, whether they be common, or true._

She looked at me with interest. _'You know of true names?' _ I was beginning to grow tired of her treating me as a lower being, but I held my tongue and nodded.

_'Hmm... Azera. What about you?'_

_Saphira._

_'You have a pretty name, Saphira.'_

_As do you. It goes with your beautiful scales._ She looked at me with surprise, and then seemed to almost shy away.

_Azera... can you tell me what exactly we're doing here? _I didn't know what her plans were, but whether she was taking me back to Kain or Galbatorix, or even somewhere else, I had to figure out a way to get away. She looked back at me, this time with a more awkward look on her face. I began to sense that she wasn't sure how to really handle this. _She must not have really ever talked to a human being before._

_'Well... to be honest, I don't know.' _ This surprised me.

_You.. don't know? What do you mean you don't know?_

_'I mean, I hadn't planned this far ahead. Is that hard for you to comprehend? Not everything has a plan.'_

I didn't know what to say anymore. Or even what to think. I was so prepared through all of this for anything that I was just waiting for her to tell me that the evil king had sent her to bring me to him, or that Kain wanted me to help him track down Luna, or anything like that. _No, she must be here for _**_some _**_ reason._

_Do you not serve under someone? _I asked. Now she looked shocked.

_'Me? A Dragon? Serving under a master? Are you mad? Of course not!'_

_Galbatorix did not send you to the city to find me?_

_'Who?' _

_What about Kain? Surely you must have some kind of connection to him if you attacked the city with the wolves._

_'The white-furred rebel-leader mutt? You think I answer to a mutt? I'm insulted!'_

This entire situation had become so confusing. _I don't get it then. _I exclaimed. _Why where you at the city attacking? Surely you must have a reason._

_'You're a curious little one aren't you?' _she teased. _'Alright. If you **really** want to know, Kain hired me to attack the city after their little attack. Lower their morale or something and kill most of the guards while they were unprepared, to help preparation for their next attack. I guess he figured that fear of a dragon would make them frightened and help with their next attack tomorrow, or something.'_

_So she **did **work for Kain,_ I thought. Apparently she heard this though as she let out a snort.

_'Were you not listening? He hired me. **Hired **me. As in he gives me something I want and in return I do a little task for him. I'm sort of a mercenary like that, although not many want to hire me, nor do they have something I want. Most of the time. This was for hunting rights. I really didn't need their 'rights', but his wolves always attacked me when I landed. Became pretty annoying.'_

Mercenary? _That means she doesn't work for anybody... _It was strange, but that almost made me happy. I'd been hoping that she'd not be an enemy, and it relieved me to hear that she wasn't. She was just a dragon, free of ties to others, serving under her own freewill.

_But... then why did you kidnap me?_

_'Haven't we been over this?' _she seemed to smile. _'You seemed interesting. I thought I'd have a little fun with you, and so far it's certainly been fun.'_ She shifted her wings and seemed to settle down into a lying position. Letting out a rather large yawn, I watched her smack her jaws sleepily. _'Mmm, yes. In fact, I think I might keep you around as a pet...'_

Wait... Pet? **Pet?** _What do you mean 'pet?' _ I asked, trying to stay calm, but bewilderment of her announcement tinging my tone.

_'You're interesting. You're special. You're definitely worth keeping around. So I think I will.'_

I felt absolutely shocked. _She intends to keep me as her pet?_ I thought, almost angrily. _ How **dare **she! _I couldn't believe it.

_You can't do that!_ I exclaimed feverishly.

_'I can and I will.'_

_You don't understand! This isn't right! I'm not supposed to be here! And Eragon! You can't do this!_

_'And why not?'_

_Because! Because I'm not human! I wasn't borne of this species! I disguised myself with magic so I could enter the city, but this is not me!_

_'Oh? What are you then, oh-shape-shifter?' _she seemed to almost mock me.

_'My name is Saphira Brightscales. I am dragon, just as you are.'_

Azera looked at me, half shocked, half in disbelief. Then she rolled onto her back and began to laugh.

_'You think you can make me believe you're a dragon? Are you out of your mind?'_ She bellowed.

I had just about had as much of this as I could take. I got on my feet as quickly as possible and began to run. I couldn't let this happen. I began to run as fast as I could back towards where we came from. _There's a cliff just up ahead here. If I can jump off, that would give me plenty of room to change back into-_

I felt a force drive me to the ground and pin me again. Using all of my strength, I struggled with all of my might. It was no use though; she was too heavy, and far too powerful, for this body to fight against.

_'Hey hey hey now. Where do you think **you're** off to in such a hurry?' _Azera picked my body up and brought me back to where we were sitting before. She circled around like a dog would before she lowered onto the ground, still holding me in her claws. She placed me beside her, claws still around me, and lifted her wing over the sky, trapping me inside her cell.

_'Now listen. It's been a long day, and I **don't **want to have to deal with this nonsense. So why don't you just stop talking, sleep, and in the morning we will continue to my tower. Okay?'_ Before I could even say anything, she shut the connection between our minds, stopping any conversation from occurring.

_This is ridiculous_, I thought to myself. _ I refuse to be somebody's pet!_ I began to try and slowly slide out of her claw, but she tightened and stopped me, grunting a warning telling me to stop; or else. Sighting, I rested my head against the ground defeated. _I never in my dreams imagined this would happen.. I am a dragon. I am a powerful creature, an equal to this dragon. Not a pet..._

I began to feel sad, and almost claustrophobic in this body. I felt trapped, encased in a shell with no chance for escape. _I can't even just change back here,_ I thought angrily. _I need much more room to change. And besides, her claws would pierce into me and kill me before I grew to my full size._

Slowly, the weight of sleep began to bear on me. It had been a very long day of fighting, running, and then being kidnapped and flying, and everything else that had happened. Even though I tried, I couldn't fight off the inevitable, and eventually became overcome by the darkness...

* * *

_Wind. All around me. Rushing wind. The angry roar of battle around me, yet I cannot see. I can hear Eragon, fighting and yelling in anger, desperately casting spells, but who is his opponent? Why is he fighting? Where am I? Slowly I regain sight. I look down and see my familiar blue claws, can feel the strength of my muscles flowing through my body as blood beats through my powerful heart. I feel free again. Weightless, chain-less. Yet I cannot move. My body is stuck, yet there is nothing around me. I am in the middle of a great castle. Eragon is fighting in front of me, bloodied and wounded, but I cannot see his opponent. I can't focus properly. I see the enemy strike at Eragon, slash his shoulder, and see him wither in pain. I try and scream out, but suddenly my shoulder hurts as well. His pain has become mine; we are tightly linked. I try and move, try and sever the connection, but I cannot. I am powerless. The pain becomes too much, overwhelming. I feel like my forearm is being ripped out. The enemy strikes again, this time getting Eragon's legs, sending him to the floor. I cry out from the intense pain. 'Make it stop!' I plead, to nothing. The man lifts his hand and Eragon lifts as well. Swinging his hand to the left behind him, Eragon's body is shot and hits a wall with a sickening thud, breaking his and my bones. But his body stays against the wall, and the man walks towards him, holding up his hand. But Eragon isn't alone. There is another body there on the wall. Another human body. I try so hard to see but my sight fails me still. It looks like... Me? What is going on? Suddenly my vision returns, and I see that the man is Galbatorix. Holding up his long blade. Pointing at Eragon. 'NO!' I scream. I try so hard to move. To get to him. If I could just move, I could save him! But I can't. I'm powerless. Galbatorix moves his hand and puts Eragon on top of human me. He's crying. They're both crying. He lowers his hand, yet they stay there. He raises his sword. But he looks back. He see's me, and he smiles. 'Don't you **dare!'** I try and yell. 'Don't do it!' But I cannot speak. The pain has become unbearable. I feel like I am on fire, like my body has been ripped to pieces and I am on fire, and I can still feel everything. He takes his blade and I see him with horror as he thrust into us, killing us. I-_

Suddenly the world, the pain, everything disappears and I am on the floor, drenched in ice-cold water. I started to cough, half choking, half in shock. Beside me I can hear a dragon's laughter.

_'Ahahaha, that was great!' _Azera exclaimed. I was still coughing, but I wasn't choking anymore. I could feel my entire frame begin to shake. I almost feel frightened, completely shocked by the was almost as if I were having a panic attack. I started to hyperventilate, and Azera began to seem worried.

_'Hey... are you okay?' _she asked cautiously. I tried to answer her that I was fine, but I couldn't focus enough to form a sentence. Instead I managed to raise my finger as if to say one minute. Azera nodded and sat patiently, her face covered in worry. Slowly my breathing returned to normal, and I began to feel calmer. I took deep breaths, trying to forget about the dream and regain my composure. After a few minutes the shock had passed completely.

_I'm fine,_ I told her. She cocked her head curiously.

_'Bad dreams?'_ she asked.

_You could say that._

_'I'm sorry. Maybe you should eat?' _She gestured over to a dead carcass of a deer. _'I went hunting this morning. I don't know how much you humans eat... but there should be enough there of what I left.' _

Azera walked back over to the pond and began to drink. _I suppose I could use meat right now._ Reaching the carcass, I suddenly came to an unexpected predicament. _... How am I supposed to eat this?_ I tried to rip a piece off with my hands, but found it very difficult without claws to rip through the meat. I tried to use my teeth, but found them to be very dull, too dull to bite through enough meat, and I didn't really want to eat in small bite-size pieces directly off of it. _Wait a minute.. .I still have my blade!_ Reaching for my hilt, I found that I did in fact still have my blade at my side. Unsheathing it, it sliced off a healthy portion of tender meat, and walked over under a tree to eat in peace. _...This meat isn't as tasty as it usually tastes like._ I came to the conclusion that a human sense of taste was very different of that than a dragons sense of taste.

_'Hey Saphira, it's me! Are you okay?' _came a worried voice back in the more familiar part of her mind.

_'Eragon? Where are you? I've missed you so much!'_ I couldn't even express how overjoyed I was to hear his voice again in my mind, to feel his presence. Luckily I didn't have to with him. He soothed me with his mind, calming me and making me feel at home again. I'd missed him so much.

_'What happened just a few minutes ago? I've been so worried.' _

_'It's nothing, Eragon. I just had a nightmare that put me in shock. I'd never had a dream so terrible before.' _ I could tell through his emotions that I'd scared him. He was always so nice to me. I could never emphasize just how glad I was that I had him as a rider, as my partner. Eragon had to be the most remarkable human being I'd ever known. It wasn't just because he was the first human I'd met and got acquainted to. I often found myself analyzing all the people around us during the times we'd be travelling through towns, or talking to people in the Varden. I'd often looked through the minds of soldiers, miners, officials, any many other people, but never had I come across someone like Eragon. He truly was somebody special.

_'Okay, we need to get you out of there, before this dragon takes you off to Kain or Galbatorix.'_

_'She's not serving for Galbatorix, Eragon.'_

_'She?' _He was in the same amount of shock as I was. It was kind of amusing.

_'Yes. Her name is Azera. And she is not serving for Kain either. She is a mercenary, and she agreed to help attack the city in exchange for some peace from the wolves with her. She has no bonds to our enemies.'_

_'So she's not our foe?' _he asked. _'That's fantastic! We've found another dragon; imagine that! And a female too! So we can just leave then?'_

_'It's not that simple, unfortunately.'_

_'What do you mean?' _he asked honestly.

_'Well...' _I felt embarrassed to admit this to Eragon, but I needed his help to get away. _'She's decided she want's to keep me as a pet...'_

Eragon remained in silence for over thirty seconds. _'She's keeping you as a ...'_ I couldn't hear him, but I knew he'd fallen over laughing from his emotions. _'Eragon, this is serious! I need your help to get away from her! I will _**_NOT _**_be somebody's pet!'_

_'Alright alright, I've no intention of letting that happen. I have a plan,'_ he said confidently. _'Is Azera near that pond?' _I looked over and saw the dragoness absently chewing on a large branch at the other end of the clearing, away from the pond.

_'No, she's away from it.'_

_'Good. Here's what you need to do. Go to the pond, and look into it, as if you're going to drink. Count to five seconds, and hold your breath.. Alright?'_

Hold my breath? _'Wait, Eragon, what exactly is your plan?'_

_'Just trust me with this. Okay?'_ I felt kind of worried, but I decided to trust him anyways. Putting down my meat, I walked over to the pond. Azera saw me however.

_'I'm surprised you're still thirsty after all the water I poured on your face.'_ I kept walking to the pond, but grew nervous.

_'Eragon, she-'_

_'Don't worry, it's fine. This will work better that she knows you're there. Answer back.'_

I looked back over to her and smiled.

_Well, remember I choked on that water and spat it all out. _She reverted her gaze from me back to her branch. _'I suppose,' _she said. Feeling more confident, I made my way to the pond. Looking in, I saw my reflection in the calm water. I observed my face, my body, the being that I was forced to call me right now. _I need to change back_, I thought to myself, feeling claustrophobic again. I began to count, beginning to breath in at three. _Four... Five..._ Nothing happened for a second. _'Eragon, what are you going to d-' _

I felt a strong force suck me into the water with a big splash. Looking farther with my mind, I could still see Azera sitting by her branch, but having obviously noticed my fall. _'Saphira?'_ she asked, slowly walking over to the pond. As for myself I had no conception of what was happening. Water was churning around me, and as I held my breath strong it became harder to breath. But suddenly I was back on land, still wet but in fresh air in a forest, with Eragon beside me.

_'How did you...' _I began, unsure of what just happened.

_'I teleported your body here from the water.' _he answered proudly. _'It only works in water, and I can only do it short distances, but it works. I can teleport myself too.'_

_'That's incredible. I'm impressed.' _I picked myself up from the ground, observing my surroundings. We were in a forest, dense enough we could not see him from our clearing. However Eragon had positioned himself so he could clearly see where I had been sleeping.

_'We need to go though. Now.' _He said urgently.

_'Agreed.'_ Running full speed, we quickly made our way through the forest, rapidly clearing large amounts of distance. I wanted to distance myself from Azera as much as possible. Waves of green and brown washed passed us as we ran through the forest of the mountains, over hills and through plains. The thick canopy of leaves above us dimmed the light from the sun to the point it felt almost night time. Eventually we came to the more mountainous part of the mountains.

_'We cannot scale these without magic,' _Eragon explained. _'I used most of my reservoir teleporting you. Is there any chance you can turn back into a dragon?'_

_'Gladly'_ The thought of being my true self again was infinitely relieving. _'But we need to find an open area, like a large clearing.'_

_'There's one just to the right of us.' _Quickly we both began to run west, quickly seeing the clearing. As we entered the space however, we were both greeted by a large tail swatting us to the ground. Both of us fell with a thud, as Azera walked over us.

_'Saphira, you never introduced me to your friend!' _she exclaimed. I sighed. _I just want out of this body,_ I thought angrily.

_Azera, this is Eragon. He's my rid- Er, I mean, partner._

_'Partner? Oh, you mean... You're mating..?'_ Eragon looked over to me with a confused shocked look on his face. _'Just go with it,' _I told him. _'Oh. I had not know you had a mate.'_ To my surprise Azera lifted off of both of us, letting us stand up. _'You followed us all the way to the city, just to save her?'_ she asked Eragon. _'That's so sweet. I've never seen such loyalty from a human. I mean, you're up against a dragon, and against all odds you still tried to find her?'_

_'Please, dragoness-' _He started. She cut him off and said. _'Azera. My name is Azera.'_

_'I'm sorry. Azera, please. Me and Saphira have been travelling a long way, from the southern continent of Alagaesia, trying to track down a power-mad ex-king. He's extremely powerful and must be stopped, and I can't fight him alone.' _Eragon looked over to me and smiled lovingly.

Azera looked at him, her amethyst eyes deep in thought. She sat down and looked absently at the ground, eyes furrowed. Eventually, she looked back up and nodded her head. _'Alright, I've made up my mind. Saphira, you're free to go.'_

_What? Just like that?_ I was shocked. I hadn't expected we would be able to convince her to just let us leave. Yet, Eragon had done it somehow.

_'You obviously have very important obligations to attend to. And I hadn't known you had a mate. I couldn't bear separating you two and breaking your heart, and this man sounds dangerous.'_ She winked at me. _'Just promise me you will get him, okay?' _

_'Believe me, we intend to.' _Eragon said.

Azera moved suddenly, shifting her body and crouching onto the ground. _'Here, get on my back,' _she said. _'I can fly you back to the city.'_

I looked at Eragon, and he looked back. Silently, we both decided to go along with her. Honestly, I'd realized that this dragon was no threat at all. She was just living her life, having fun while she was at it. She had no bad intentions at all.

Eragon hopped onto the dragons back, then extending his arm for me to climb on too. I took his hand smiling, and fixed myself behind him. _Of course he wants to ride in the front,_ I thought to myself with amusement. _I suppose he's used to that._

Azera prepared her hind legs, and with a tall leap and a stroke of her wings both me and Eragon found ourselves high in the air. Now riding as a passenger, it really felt as a sort of surreal experience. I looked around as the ground beneath me fell away, revealing an infinite landscape of clouds and sky. The sun was bright, too bright for me to look even in the same direction, and I was forced to shield my eyes. I had never noticed the sun so bright before. _I suppose dragon-eyes have adjusted to the light for flying._

After an hour of flying, the mountains began to give away and reveal more subtle hills among the tall peaks. I looked ahead and saw the glow of light against within the walls of a notch of giants; some of the tallest peaks I'd seen in this region. _That must be the glow of the city, _I deduced. But why was there light during daytime?

_'Eragon, is it not strange that-'_

_'There are lights from the city?'_ he finished._ 'I was just thinking that. I think it'd because, being surrounded by such tall walls can create longer, unusual time's of darkness during the day. They have probably adjusted to just keep their torches burning all day and night.'_

_Ah, that makes sense._ I slowly began to notice Azera's descent as we grew closer to the city. Eventually she steered herself downwards and to the right, into a small little area hidden from the city by trees and a hill. Fluttering her wings with ease, she landed fairly gently on the ground with not even a thud from her paws. She knelt down and let Eragon and I off onto the ground. We both silent got off and walked in front of her, to thank her more formally.

_'A much softer landing than you've ever done, if I do say so myself.' _He teased to me.

_'Eragon, shush!' _

Azera looked at me with her deep amethyst eyes, almost sad. _'Well, I suppose this is the end of the road for us. It's been fun. I'll definitely miss you.'_ She gave me a gentle nod with her muzzle, and I smiled back awkwardly. _It has only been a day, what does she mean she will miss me?_ Azera turned to Eragon and tightened her lips into a dragon-like smile. _'And you boy. You take good care of her, okay?'_ Eragon, too, smiled awkwardly while nodding. _'And make sure you catch whoever this evil power you speak of is. I don't want anybody like that roaming around in my region near my fortress.'_

I looked at her, about to ask her of her fortress she spoke of, but something in her eyes caught my tongue. I looked into her and I found... _Sadness, she __**is**__ sad!_ I realized then how lonely she must be, hiding away in the thickest part of this region, possibly the last of her kind, no guidance or companion to experience life with.

_'Are there no others?' _I asked her, almost afraid of her answer.

_'Dragons?'_ she asked. I nodded and she shook her head slowly.

_'No, I know of no others. I was born alone in this range, and I haven't been able to find anyone else of my kind.' _She shifted her body to try and look proud. _'I'm the last of my kind'_, she said. Yet her voice was still tinged with sadness. I felt Eragon wanted to tell her, but I urged him not too.

_'Well, I should be off. You two get back to your city, okay?' _I nodded and smiled at her. _'Thank you for everything,'_ I said. _'It was truly a... unique experience. Perhaps we shall meet again.'_ She smiled at me again, returning to her happy self. _'I look forward to that.'_

With the flapping of her large wings, she lifted off, and began her journey back. Instinctively I waved, instantly confused why I would do so as she cannot possibly see me. Eragon laughed at my look I expressed of this and began to walk towards the city. _'Come, let's get you cleaned up. I know you want to turn back into a dragon, but can you wait for just a few more hours? We still need to talk to the king about Galbatorix, and he will expect to see both of us.'_ I grudged the thought of staying human now that I had every opportunity to change back, but even still I agreed and began to walk with him.

As we walked closer to the city, Eragon seemed to become increasingly bothered by something. I felt like mind-dropping on his thoughts, but decided to respect his privacy. Eventually however, my curiosity got the better of me.

_'What's wrong, Eragon?' _I asked. He looked at me, either deciding whether to tell me or deciding on his words.

_'It's just, I feel sorry for Azera,' _he said finally. _'I feel like we should have told her about your true nature.'_ I nodded, completely understanding his thoughts.

_'Don't worry, Eragon. I intend fully to meet her again. But next time as a **dragon,** not a human.'_

He nodded, accepting this as an answer. He still look like he had something to say, however.

_'Is there something else?' _I asked.

_'Saphira... You've been calling me by my name.' _His thought surprised me. _'And?' _I asked. _'Have I not done so before?'_

_'Well of course you have. It's just that, most of the time you call me by your nickname, "little one". Since I found you this morning, not once have you called me that. I suppose I find it sort of strange.'_

I hadn't realized it myself at all, but now that Eragon mentioned it, it did seem odd to me. Perhaps being in this body made it not make sense for me to call my rider that, as now we were the same size, if not him a bit larger. Or maybe it was something else. Even thinking of him as my rider seemed strange to me. I felt as if this experience had changed me, gave me a new perspective on life as a human, and my role as a dragon. I had always looked at Eragon as my equal, and as my family. However even still, I always had looked at us as rider and dragon. Now though, I looked at us disregarding all connections in the physical realm. I felt like I was ignoring what we were, and truly looking only at who we were. I did not feel as though I needed to take care of him, as a parent. I looked at him and saw only an absolute equal, my life-long friend through eternity. I'd grown a new appreciation of being human.

I looked at him and smiled. _'Don't worry, little one. Nothing is wrong.'_ He smiled in relief and looked forward, onward to the city ahead of us over the hill we climbed.

_Even still, _I thought, _I cannot wait until I can finally be me again.

* * *

_

**Long, yes? That took a long time. It was fun, but a looong time :/**

**I really hoped you liked it and it didn't get boring. It sure wasn't boring to write, but you never know; it might be different to write it than read it. **

**As always reviews are welcome. I feel like saying this everytime because it gives me the illusion that people will read and be like "Oh okay, I'll review :)" :)**

**Other than that, I'm off. This ended up being about 6,400 words about. Crazy right? But that makes up for like 3 chapters from before. Now you can't be mad at me for not writing in this for the past few days. Yay :D But I'm tired now. So goodbye :D Until next time. When will we see Azera again? Oh, sometime. You'll see :) It'll alllll come together.**


	9. 8: Shadows

**Ah jeez, sorry for the really-long wait time for this chapter to come. What, almost 10 days? Socks D: I'll try not to let that happen again. Seriously, I promise.**

**Anyways here's that chapter. I had the first few paragraphs written for a long time, I just got stuck. Stupid wall D: I don't REALLY like where this went, but tell me if you like it or not. **

**Either way, enjoy! :D And review please :) At least one. :D pwetty please?**

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Chapter 8:

**Shadows**

Eragon and Saphira made their way back to the city from their detour adventure through the mountains, weary and exhausted. Both of them wanted nothing more than to rest and sleep off the past day's rigorous events. Saphira especially did not even wish to go in the city; she wanted nothing more than to spread her wings again and feel the wind flow and bend around her. She knew that the city people expected to see her.

_'Don't worry, it won't even take a day,'_ he assured her. He could tell that she still held her doubts on that. They began to near the front of the gates, and Saphira stopped suddenly. Eragon looked at her and asked what was wrong. She seemed deep in thought.

_'Is it truly necessary for me to be there? I mean, who is even going to remember me with you?'_

Before Eragon could reply, they were interrupted by a loud **"HEYYYY!"** from within the city. Saphira looked at Eragon quizzically, which he returned before looking back to the city for a better look. On the left side of the entrance on the turret, they could hear a sort of commotion above.

"Excuse me- GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

"Hey wait! You can't be here- OOF!" Eragon heard the thud of somebody falling. Shortly after they both saw a head pop out of the top window, and then start waving insanely.

"ERAGON! YOU MADE IT BACK!"

_Oh god..._ he thought to himself. _'Wait, is that... Gareth?'_ Saphira asked. He nodded slowly and began to wave back.

"Hey, Gareth. How are-"

"YOU CRAZY SONOFABITCH!" He yelled. Gareth's head disappeared, and the two could hear him running down the steps to the ground. "GUARDS! LOWER THE GATES! WE'VE GOT A HERO COMING THROUGH!" In less than a minute he had ran all the way down from the turret, through the gates, and was standing in front of them, panting out of breath.

_'Eragon.. is he... okay?' _Saphira asked, almost scared of the mans erratic behavior.

_'He seems to be becoming more insane every time I see him,'_ he replied, feeling the same way.

"I cannot BELIEVE you went on and took a dragon all on your own. And you've come back **ALIVE!** I was **sure** you'd be dragon fodder!"

"Gee, uh, thanks?-"

"And all for a girl you just met at a bar the night before! Incredible! You're a god damn hero!" Gareth patted him on the back hard, harder than Eragon expected, and he fell forward.

"Oh, sorry about that!" He grabbed Eragon's collar and lifted him back up. "I can get a little too excitable sometimes."

_'A little?'_ Saphira commented to Eragon with a tease.

"That's okay," Eragon said, feeling very awkward.

"No need for that," he said, holding his hand up. "We've got to get you two to the king right now! I know of your superb fighting skills during the battle too, girl," he looked over at Saphira with a smirk. _'Girl!' _she commented with detest, though she kept this to herself and Eragon. "And you survived the clenches of a real-life dragon! Amazing!"

"Er, thank yo-"

"Of course! I've already told the king of your heroics in battle and your rescue from the dragon."

"Wait, you have?" Eragon asked. Gareth nodded proudly.

"Yes, of course! That's what I just said did I not? He wishes to speak to both of you immediately! So we have to go! **Now!**"

Gareth began to push Eragon and Saphira through the gates, past the guard posts, and towards the castle. _'This man really needs to calm down,'_Saphira commented.

_'Aye, he does. I hope this doesn't last long...'_

Eventually the came to the gates of the castle. Gareth walked up to the guard holding the door and explained their presence with the king. Immediately the guard opened the door for them, and Gareth gestured them to follow with a very large grin on his face. Both shrugging simultaneously at each other, they followed after the man through the halls.

The space was well lit and well decorated. Rows and rows of windows layered along the right side walls, revealing the city as they slowly ascended various fleets of stairs. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the stone floors were draped with a long red carpet.

_Wow, this king sure does seem to like his appearances, _he thought to himself. The incredibly well-ornamented hall gave Eragon the impression of the King being vain. He knew himself that kings usually must uphold a look of higher authority and value to their peers in order to almost deem others in the town of lesser importance and to ensure their reign, or at least that's what they liked to say. However growing up in a poor family on a farm had given Eragon a feeling of resent towards this image held by kings. Of course he had always looked at kings with awe, but at the same time he'd always disliked how high above they pictured themselves to be.

_'Do not judge this man to soon, little one,' _Saphira warned.

The two made their way to the main chamber; a large room filled with many thick-wood tables, ornamented in the same fashion of the halls; red drapes and carpets, and golden decorations. A very sturdy, happy man sat on a red and golden chair in the very centre-back of the room.

"Hello!" his voice bellowed. "Hello! Come in, come in! Don't be shy, come closer!" Eragon and Saphira exchanged slightly worried and tired looks, and walked up closer to the king.

"Ah, so these are the heroes that so valiantly and selfishly put themselves out in the battle and helped our victory!"

"..Selfishly?" Eragon held a confused look on his face. "... Do you mean Selflessly?"

"AH! Yes, selfless, selfish, what's the difference. Are they not but words?"

_What's... the difference? _Saphira thought with great frustration.

_Settle, Saphira._ Eragon quickly realized the king would quickly get on her nerves

"Yes, we are they. It was really nothing much-"

"And to think a woman, of all creatures! To be such a fierce warrior! The gods have truly blessed you!"

_What... What does he mean. Eragon, What does he mean? _Eragon could tell that Saphira was quickly losing her patience for this man.

_Saphira, just keep calm. Informing this man of his ignorance will do no more good to the world than leaving him be will. _Saphira chose to ignore this.

"Where we come from, woman warriors are common place," Saphira said, holding back any anger from her voice.

"Really! Such strange customs where you are from..." The man held up his hands in great exaggeration. Before either could reply he slammed his fists into his chair, creating a very loud banging sound, and he began talking again. The king's voice was the sort of voice that clearly rose above all others. It dominated over all sounds other than its own, able to rise over even the most rowdiest of crowds, and no matter where you were or who you were talking to or what you were doing, you're ears felt compelled to listen to the man speak. Eragon presumed this had a lot to do to the contribution of the king's position.

"Now, let us get serious; You two have done a fine service to this city. Gareth told me all about you're excellence, and even your tracking and fighting of the dragon. Unbelievable! So, I've decided to give you medals.

"Medals?" Saphira asked. "It's quite alright, we do not need-"

"NONSENSE!" the king yelled. "SIR ROBERT! BRING THESE WARRIORS THE MEDALS!"

"Sir, I'm right here..." A smaller, timid-seeming man walked from behind the kings chair holding a nicely-fashioned box. "There's no need for you to yell..."

"Ah, there you are Robert. Give them the stuff!"

"The stuff?"

"Yes! The stuff! Give it to them!"

"You mean this-"

"YES!" the king yelled. Robert jumped back frightened, looking like he had just seen a ghost, and slowly made his way towards Eragon and Saphira. Opening the box, he brought out two golden medals on ribbons. The medals were in the shape of a star, very tiny inscriptions bordering the edges, and the word "Akura" carved delicately into the centre. All throughout there were many waving circular designs, flowing seamless into the edges and the words. It was a beautiful piece of work for what it was. Certainly it was not up to par in any way to the workmanship of the elves. However it was still rather impressive.

Robert placed the medals on both Eragon and Saphira, much to her reluctance, and walked away behind the chair. The king sat up and began clapping very loudly, apparently very pleased.

"Excellent! You two, you are now honorary soldiers of the Akuran corps! Congratulations!" Eragon and Saphira both bowed, for courtesy if nothing else. However something bugged him. "Thank you, sir" Eragon said. "But, uh.. I was wondering if Gareth were to get a medal. He fought hard during that battle and more than proved myself in my opinion." Eragon thought that the man definitely deserved a medal for his skill and devotion to the battle.

"Ah, yes. Gareth. Do not worry, we definitely give him the recognition he deserves. He's our top warrior! He's got so many medals that he's asked us to stop giving them to him!" Eragon thought about this, and was about to express his disbelief, but then after remembering how Gareth fought he realized he was not all that surprised.

"He certainly is an... interesting man." Saphira said. The king nodded in response, smile still plastered on his face.

"Yes, Gareth can get quite excitable very easily. We're just lucky to have him on our side."

"Aye," said Eragon. "But, now we must ask you of something."

"Oh? Anything you need! Would you like a house to stay in? New weapons? Food?"

"No no," Saphira insisted. "We're actually looking for somebody."

"Ah." The king nodded slowly as if he already knew who they were looking for. Yet, a minute passed and he said nothing.

"Erm," Eragon started awkwardly, "We heard from Ritafalls that a man named Galbatorix came passing by here into the Akuran mountains. We had just wanted to ask you if you knew of this man. Wore dark armour.."

The king looked at them both, rubbing his temple as if deep in thought. Many minutes passed yet neither dared speak, waiting anxiously for his answer. After what seemed like ten minutes, the king sat up and asked "...did he wear a black cape, and have a long sword on his belt dragging across the floor; you're typical heavy-weapon mercenary sort guy?"

"Yes! That's him!" Eragon exclaimed excitedly.

_'Eragon, how can you be certain the man he speaks of is Galbatorix?' _Saphira asked silently. _'There are hundreds of men that could fit that description.'_

_'Ah, you underestimate me, oh-wise-one.'_ Eragon sent a mental image of himself sticking his tongue out at Saphira as a tease, and she let out a small gruff. _'It is not his answer that matters, but of what image he thinks of when I asked him.'_

_'You are spying on his thoughts and using descriptions to trigger a mental image of Galbatorix? Clever little one.'_

_'Why, thank you.' _Eragon responded proudly. _'Though I believe I should receive that praise more often.'_

_'Don't push your luck, two-legs'_ she warned jokingly.

"So, I take it you would like to know where this man went?" the king asked.

"If it is at all possible." Neither Eragon nor Saphira had been able to find a lead on the fallen king for quite some time. Finally able to find somebody who could point them in a new direction was much relief.

"Hmph. This man you speak of, Galbatorix, he came in here a few weeks ago. Asked for a general overview of the area. Wanted to build himself a home in the mountains or something. But he wanted a big one! The biggest mountain here! Could you imagine that?" Eragon thought about the fallen kings last fortress inside the large dormant volcano, where he was practising his strange new bending of magical powers, twisting reality and the world to his whim. Eragon shuddered remembering his power under the control of his hand, and feared how much more powerful he might have become over time.

"So where is he now?" Saphira asked.

"Oh, I sent him a bit south along the mountain range. There lies a monster of a mass; the epitome of a true mountain. Not even a dragon can fly high enough to enter. The true Akuran volcano!"

_'Another volcano, hm? Noticing a theme?' _Eragon toyed with the idea to Saphira.

_'I wonder if it is just a preference, or if there is another underlying meaning for his frequent choice of volcanoes as his home...'_

"Thank you, kind king." Eragon bowed, urging Saphira to do so too through their minds. Saphira disliked doing so, but she bowed too. The king seemed pleased.

"Well, we shall be getting on our way then," Saphira said anxiously.

"Alright. You two have a pleasant journey! I hope you find the man you are looking for!"

The two kindly thanked the king, and left the castle promptly. Eragon wanted to stay in the town a bit longer, but Saphira wished to leave as soon as possible. The human body she was residing in was beginning to make her feel extremely claustrophobic, and nothing inside her wanted to remain a second in that town. After a hasty goodbye to Gareth, the two were finally out of the town.

Saphira quickly ran to the nearest large area hidden from the town and the guards on the walls. Eragon followed behind, but a harsh warning from Saphira told him to stay back. After a few moments of anticipation, however, Saphira told Eragon it was okay for him to come near, and as he walked to Saphira he saw the familiar form of his dragon partner, shaking her wings as she tried to get a feel for them again after not having wings for so long.

Eragon rushed up and gave his dragon a huge hug, much to Saphira's surprise. _'Did you miss me? I've been right here the entire time little one.'_

_'It's just nice to see you in your familiar form, that's all.'_

After a few hours of walking away from the city and Saphira becoming reacquainted with her muscles, the two rose to the sky to continue their journey, instantly spotting their destination in the distance. Together with destiny in front of them, they headed onward to meet their old friend once more. Neither knew what to expect, but both intended to end this chase, once and for all.

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**There! All done! finally :P You may have noticed the ending sort of rushed out, I tried not to but honestly I couldn't really get into this chapter. I think it's time for a change of pace. Something a bit different, but a bit more familiar as well. Something you guys might like :D Also stay tuned in because in a few chapters I'll revise the intro chapter with an actual prequel to this story. Something to interest both new readers and any of you guys that are reading this! I don't know how many are actually subscribed to this story, or just pass through... I know people read this, not many but some; I see on the traffic page :P **

**Actually I'm curious about something. What do you guys think will happen with Galbatorix? You remember his power and abilities from the last time yes? How do you think this battle will fare? Leave your comments! :D I'll reply to all :P and possibly/ probably review a story in return :) a nice big thorough and detailed review, not just "awesome chapter nxt pls!" :P**

**Anyways, until next chapter! Which may or may not be within 5 days; I'm working on a side project for a friend ;D another dragon thing. I'll link later. possibly post if she allows.**

**~Dragnerz**


	10. 9: Ballad of the Moon

Chapter 9:

**Ballad of the Moon **

The echoes of moonlight dance playfully among the grass. Imprints are scarred into the blades as a swift movement passes by quickly. Ahead bloodshed and battle rage on, both by human and wolf. The entity slowed silently in the night of the forest, disguised by it's gentle shadows, and watched the battle from afar.

Ahead the odds were unfair, skewered against the humans in a pitiful show of power. Wolves seemed to enjoy the pure fear in the eyes of men and women as they helplessly tried to fight them off. They teased them, playing with them, testing the humans limits and ending it when they became bored. At times it would seem there be only one wolf left, and the humans won. But little did they know that a few dozen awaited them among the deciduous trunks of the forest, behind the shrubs and Chokecherries.

It was pathetic, really. The wolves were cruel to the humans, that was a definite. The way they went about it though, boasting and showing off their powers and skills, they almost treated it as a game. They expected so little of a fight from their prey that they've completely taken down their guard. It was an unfortunate compromise for their amusement. For them.

"Heh, Myrtia, come over here and check this one out. I've got her all pinned down for you." A dark grey wolf bared his teeth in a gruesome smile as another one walked towards him. This one was grey as well, but its fur was much more definitive, streaks of silver outlining its muscles and body shape. It's belly was a lighter fur, as it gradually darkened towards it's back, and this white fur pattern continued to the underside of it's muzzle.

"Ah, this one is being brave, is she?" the female Myrtia asked in a menacing tease. Beneath the males large paws was a girl, possibly in her teens, staring deep into the wolves eyes. She seemed to try her best to remain composed, yet her eyes and face screamed in terror and demise. "I am not afraid of you!" She spat, though her voice trembling.

"Please, spare me your worthless pleading and banter. Just shut up and let us kill you."

"What?" the male asked. "You don't want to play with her first? I had so many games in mind..." His voice dropped, almost saddening. The female closed her eyes, sitting down and pondering for a moment.

"Hm... I was hoping to have an early sleep tonight... But I suppose there's no harm in a little fun before hand." A twisted smile formed on her lips.

"Ever the sadistic, hmm Myrtia? It seems some things never change."

A new wolf walked out from her hiding behind the shadows, although a different determination on her face. Her night-black coat shone sleek in the moonlight as the two others stared in awe. Even among the watching wolves in the forest, confusion and astonishment spread like wildfire. This effect did not last long in the female's eyes though, and she soon looked and spoke to the wolf with the same distaste she thought of her.

"Ah, Luna. It is swell to see you again. What brings you out here from your exile in the mountains?"

Luna grunted, and launched herself at the male. In a flash of a moment she'd pinned him down, pushing his shoulders so far down that she easily popped both out of their sockets. As he roared in pain, Luna casually lifted herself off of her, looking at the frail human girl on the ground. "Are you hurt?" she asked gently. The girl stared at her in awe and slight terror, but nodded her head regardless.

"Hmph. I see you still retain your remarkable speed, _mutt_." Luna stared at Myrtia angrily, a deep hate for her reawakening within. "I forgot how much of a _bitch _you could be." Luna jumped away from the girl, around a tree, and stopped herself twenty feet away from her. "How dare you torture these innocent people. Since when has this been our way of living?"

"Nobody is innocent, Luna," she replied coolly. "You most of all should know this."

"Do you still honestly believe in Kain, Myrtia? He's mad; can't you see? He's leading you through a senseless slaughtering, and what will you achieve? The entire extermination of a single sentient species? To what purpose is your plight?" Luna kept her voice calm and controlled, something which came easily to her. Many of her brethren wolves found rage and the instinct of the hunt overtook them easily, yet this had never burdened her.

"Save your words, _Kerl_. You know nothing of your brother anymore." The female turned to leave, but Luna jolted at her with amazing speed. She aimed for her neck, but missed completely, seemingly passing right through her, and crashed hard into the ground. Myrtia walked up to Luna chuckling.

"Ah, my dear Luna. It seems your speed is still yet not enough to catch my phantom dodging. Perhaps another time?" Luna quickly got on her feet, but by that time the wolves had already scattered. Even the male she injured had been taken by the watching wolves.

Luna sighed, walking over to the girl they'd left behind. _They must not want me to follow them for her,_ she thought to herself. The girl, badly shaken, slowly rose to her feet, looking around slowly yet not noticing the black wolf's piercing yellow eyes behind her.

"You're lucky," the wolf said, sitting down to lick her paws. "If I'd not intervened, there's no telling what they would have done to you."

The girl turned around quickly, startled by the wolves presence, and quickly began to run. Unfortunately for her she managed to trip on her own feet and fall face first on the ground. Instead, she cowered in fear, holding her hands over her head and shaking terribly. After a few moments though, she looked back at the wolf, still licking her paws, confused.

"You know, I think I finally get why you humans always trip when running away in fear. You're always too scared to actually focus enough on using your feet that you just topple over." Luna rose to her feet, sending another wave of fear into the girl. "S-s-stay back!" she stammered, beginning to crawl away.

"Hush now, I've no intention to harm you. Did I not just save you just now?" Luna asked, becoming frustrated but hiding this well.

"You're not..." The girl started, regaining control of her thoughts and body. She slowly rose to her feet, more confident this time. "Thank you, kind wolf." she said, her voice returning to it's full composure.

"Those wolves are committing terrible deeds. I couldn't just pass by and let the continue." The girl looked at the wolf, taking in her beautiful coat and body shape. For a wolf, this one was quite remarkable. Luna watched the girl with interest as she looked into her bright yellow eyes. Eyes that seemed to glow in the light of the moon.

"Why did you save me?" she finally asked, having had held the question on her tongue for quite a while. "Why not join in with them? Why attack your own kind?" Her questions held valid and reasonable, yet Luna couldn't help feel a little insulted by her.

"Not all of us believe in the barbarianismic war held by the other wolves," she simply said, her voice gentle and caring. "Now, why don't you get back home. There's a town just east of here, I assume that's where you came from?" The girl became silent now, and didn't answer Luna, worrying her. "What's wrong...? Did they attack your town?" she asked sadly.

The girl shook her head. "No, I'm not from there. I was travelling from the south-west." Luna couldn't help but hear the slight sadness in her voice.

"All alone..?" she asked gently. The girl nodded her head slowly. "I was separated from my family after the attack on Ritafalls occurred and the city was burned down. We travelled together a large distance, but eventually we were separated. I've been alone ever since... I have no where to go..."

Images of the battle of Ritafalls returned to Luna's mind, the blazing fire and the hunt for her brother throughout the bloodshed within her eyes. Through out the chaos, even though Luna had saved a number of humans, she hadn't really taken notice to any of them. Her search for her brother had distracted her of all others. Even so, it is very possible she'd seen the girl during the battle, albeit apparently Luna hadn't left an impression on the girl herself. She also remembered how long ago that was.

"Well, it's a wonder you were not attacked sooner. You really are lucky..." Luna sat down, deep in thought, pondering. A breeze passed by, brushing and rustling the leaves as much as the girls hair and Luna's midnight black coat. With the breeze it carried the clouds above, and in their amassment the moon was covered, only slits and patches of light scattering throughout the face of the earth. The cold of night began to bite at the girls skin, and she walked over to a fallen tattered cloak on the ground, ripped from her encounter. Along with this was a small pack of supplies she'd been carrying. Ignoring the scars in the cloak, she wrapped it around herself, fighting back shivering.

"It's a cold night..." Luna's eyes had dimmed in the lack of light, and she looked back at the frail girl who'd walked beside her. "You may be best to travel with me until you can find a safe place." The girls eyes lit up slightly at this, her reaction again confusing Luna. This girl, who'd just before been so terrified of her, now was happy to be travelling with the black wolf. She assumed she was just happy to have a companion now, possibly.

"We will travel north-west," Luna said. "Far enough away from here that you'll be safe from the wolves roaming around here. But for now we should rest." The girl nodded silently. She walked over and settled herself down beside Luna, using her cloak as a blanket and pack as a pillow, quickly falling into sleep.

_Such a young girl_, the wolf thought to herself, before letting sleep overcome her as well.

* * *

Streaks of rising golden sunlight broke through the leaves and trees, prying Luna's eyes awake and out of her blank dream. She yawned lazily, tired still of just waking up. Beside her, the girl seemed to stir as well, and memory of last night's encounter returned to Luna.

The young girl rose to a sitting position wearily. She rubber her eyes before looking around her. Upon seeing Luna looking back at her she felt startled, but quickly remembered the kindness of the wolf and returned to observing the trees around her.

"You know, I never asked you of your name," Luna asked softly. It was obvious in her voice that she'd just woken up; such an effect was present in wolves as much as they were in humans.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Teresa. I'm sixteen years old." She gave Luna a slight smile and the wolf bowed her head respectfully.

"It is good to meet you, Teresa. I am Luna." The girl went into her pack and brought out a small piece of dried meat, as well as a bag of water. She tried to offer some to Luna, but she insisted she would hunt for food later in the day. After maybe thirty minutes, both began to prepare for travel, although the girl knew not of where they were going. Teresa began to look around her as she began to pack her bag back up. Looking around as though she'd lost something, she began to look within the depths of nearby shrubs. After minutes of searching, she finally pulled out her lost items; two silver daggers, beautifully crafted. Their hilts and blade shapes were very different, yet seemed to match in a sort of way. Before Luna could get a closer look at them however, Teresa put them away in her bag.

"So where are we going then?" Teresa asked curiously. She almost amused Luna. Her eyes were bright with excitement and anticipation.

"Well, we have to find somewhere safe for you, but other than that I'm looking for some people.." Luna trailed off, her memory flashing images of her companions she'd just met a few months ago. Although it were a short time, the friendship felt special to her. The wolf, being a Kerl of her kind, had spent a lot of time alone in the mountains, nobody to talk to or be with.

"Old friends?" Teresa asked. Luna chuckled to herself as Teresa had almost read her own thoughts. "Yes, you could say that." She'd never really expected to become so closely tied to the two travellers from the south, but she did seem to miss them a lot.

"I have reason to believe they might have gone to the Akuran mountains, so that's where I am heading." Again, images of the battle at Ritafalls entered her minds eye. Luna could recall Eragon stating their destination being the Akuran mountains. He was so determined to find and end that blasted king they'd fought in the volcano when her and the two had just recently met. That dangerous madman. A bloodthirsty wolf leading an army against the humans. Two evils in their lands emerging almost suddenly and simultaneously; was this really just a coincidence?

The girl nodded in understanding recognition to Luna's want to track her friends. "Alright," she said. "Let us be off, then!" she said excitedly.

Luna again chuckled to herself again, though this time not in memory. _Why is it I can never distance myself from humans?_

* * *

**This one's a bit shorter. Sorry about that. **

**And to PetersGirl101, very good call on Luna. I'm impressed :D This is just a slight divergence on the story. Were you wondering what happened to Luna before? Why she disappeared? Well, now we'll find out! 8D Don't worry, you won't miss anything with Galbatorix and Eragon and Saphira. **

**Just for clarifications sake, this will take place a little before where we got up to with Eragon and Saphira. How far I will not say yet, but hopefully this will give you more perspective :D Oh, and that dragon story I said I was working on is still going. I've planned it all out. I'm just really REALLY procrastinating. Thats why this took so long.**

**That's also why you havent had me actually review anything of yours PetersGirl101 :P A promise is a promise though. I'll do it tomorrow =D But buhbye for now.**

**~with love, Dragnerz**


	11. 10: Cold

Chapter 10:

**Cold**

"We sure have been walking for a long time," Teresa exclaimed wearily.

Her voice hung from her lips with little strength, her eyes barely able to keep from following. Indeed, the two had been travelling the entirety of the day since their departure in the morning, having not once stopped. Oddly enough, after so many hours this was the first time she'd voiced her complaints towards the shadowed companion beside her. _She's got great endurance, I'll give her that,_ Luna thought with slight reverence towards her. She'd never before witness a human cling so heavily to survival. After what she'd told Luna of her travelling since Rita Falls, it seemed like she had traversed across a long way, with nothing really at the end of her road awaiting her.

"Don't worry, we'll be stopping to rest for the night shortly," Luna assured her. "I'd just like to get past and out of this bush of trees."

"How do you know where we are going, anyways?" she asked, brushing away a low canopy of foliage with her arm. Luna brought back her lips into a smile, memories of her past coming into her mind.

"Oh, I've travelled through these parts once or twice in my lifetime," she said. "At this rate, we should reach where we are going late tomorrow."

"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up with excitement. Luna found this amusing as well. The girl, though matured through experience, seemed to still be just a child a heart.

"Yes, but there's still much travelling to do, remember." Luna said, as moonlight once more illuminated her face and body, creating almost a blooming glow. The girl stared at her in wonder as she began to slow down, coming to a complete stop after a second and looking back at her.

"Here, this is far enough for tonight. I will go and quickly hunt for us. Just rest for now." Luna quickly darted back into the forest, leaving Teresa alone in the clearing. She sat down on the cool grass, relieved to finally give her tired legs a break. Reaching into her pack, she brought a flask of water which she drank, cautious of how much remained. She put her hand on her stomach in slight pain as the liquid ran down her throat, instantly reminded of how hungry she was.

Not a moment too soon of this feeling, Luna returned with her quick hunt. In her jaws were two bloodied rabbit carcasses, still fresh. She layed them out in front of Teresa and sat down, beginning to eat one.

She looked down in disgust at the rodents manglied, uncooked body. "It's okay Luna, you take both. I have my own dried meats." Without further hesitation she took a slab of dried meat from her pack and began nibbling down on it. Luna simply shrugged and dragged the carcass over to her as well.

After the two ate their fill, they began to settle down to sleep. Teresa repeated the same actions as before, using her cloak as a blanket and pack as a pillow. Luna began to get settled, but there was an issue about Teresa that seemed to bother her. Knowing she could not find sleep without at least asking, she decided to speak up.

"Teresa... why are you travelling with me?" she asked, before quickly improving her inquiry. "I don't mean to say I don't appreciate the company, but what is it you wish to gain from this? You said you were seperated from your family before, is this not taking you farther away from them? Do you not wish to seek them out?"

Teresa looked at her with large eyes, almost saddening, before breaking her gaze and sighing. She did not speak for a moment, and Luna gave her the time she needed; she realized from her face that she'd been through a lot.

"My family... is dead, Luna," she said gravely. "They were slaughtered by wolves as we were trying to escape. I'm the only one that made it through alive." She dipped her head down and turned away, but Luna could see that the girl was fighting back the tears in her eyes. Sorry for the young girl, she slowly walked up next to her, nuzzling her side with her muzzle. Teresa looked at her in surprise, and the wolf returned a pathetic, half-heartened understanding smile.

"I am sorry for your loss," she said with remorse. "I too know what it feels like to lose those I love..."

Teresa returned the wolf's pathetic smile with one of her own, taking her hand and gently rubbing the top of her head. Neither questioned each other any further, afraid to cause the other too much saddness, and they both drifted off to sleep. Darkness began to engulf them as their minds became emmersed in dreams. To Teresa, the darkness was kind, taking her back to time in her life more familiar than her own. But the dreamworld did not leave any rest for Luna. In her mind, darkness surrounded her, enveloping her whole in it's cold embrace. She could not see, she could not smell, she could not hear, she could not feel. Her sensual world of reality was taken of her. She was alone. Totally, and utterly alone. But yet she ran. The world didn't exist to her, but she knew th_at something was out there. She knew she was someone, that she was somewhere, and that others were around her. She ran and ran, or at least tried to had she had feeling of her body. She couldn't tell what was happening, or if she was moving at all. _

_'Kain!' she shouted out, confusion swelling around her. But there was no reply. Yet she knew she was missing something. _

_It was like looking at a picture of a mountain, and there being black where it ought to have been. But you can't remember what was supposed to be there to begin with. It's obvious something is missing, but you just cant figure out it is._

_Soon she realizes she was wrong though. Her senses are not gone, they're raging like a whirlwind. There is so much information that she cannot make sense of it, and it is sending her into only an even deeper dizzying spiral. Luna stops trying to scream, trying to move, and focuses. She knows she has sense of the world, she just needs to find it. But her head is too dazed and out of control, and she cannot make of anything. _

_She tries to calm down. Focuses on just one invisible point. She concentrates on her ears, her fine hearing, all the sounds coming in her head. _

_She is suddenly aware she's been here before. This is not the first time this has happened. She'd gone through this before. But she would not fail this time. She concentrated harder, harder than she ever had before. The whirlwind of sound became louder, fiercer, stronger, but she still tried. She tried with all her might._

_And all of a sudden the chaos stopped. Her mind became clear, and though her other senses were still disabled, Luna could hear again. She could hear the wind's gentle gust against the rustling trees. She could hear the slight sound of trickling water from somewhere. And she could hear breathing. Was it her own. Yes. But no, there was another..._

_"You should not have come here, sister." Luna's heart froze. Her brother voice was right in front of her. She tried to move, to run, but she couldn't. She heard no change in sound. She was trapped._

_"I told you before, you can't do anything; no one can." His voice was coming closer, and she tried desperately to get away. She screamed at the top of her lungs in her, but no sound came out. If only she could see! If only she could move!_

_"Now look what you've gone and done," He brought his muzzle right next to hers, his breath heavy and hot. She felt herself start to shake. She was frozen in terror, and no matter how hard she tried she could not thaw her body._

_She'd never come this far before. She remembered now clearly, remembered the darkness, the fighting in vain. But never before had she fought her way through the darkness. He put a paw on her, and she felt her entire frame lose strength. She wanted to scream at him, to look him in his twisted eyes, ask him why. Why he would destroy everything they had, everything she loved. Ask him why he would do such a terrible thing._

_She felt a shot of intense pain down her spine and she fell to the ground, crippling in pain. Suddenly everything came back to her. Her vision, her feeling, everything. Yet he had disabled her. She looked frantically around her, and saw she was in a pool of blood; her coat soaked in the warm liquid. Kain took her head and stared at her fiercly in the eyes with his own. They were raged, angered, and... scared?_

_"Who's paws are soaked in blood now?"

* * *

_

"LUNA!"

Luna abruptly awoke from her dream with a terrified yelp, tears streaming from her eyes. Her mind spun in utter confusion at what just happened in her dream, and now she where was. She began to hyperventilate, but there was a sudden force against her that seemed to embrace her. After a moment, she realized the girl Teresa had awoken her and was now hugging her tightly.

"Teresa... Why are you hugging me?" she asked, though weakly to her surprise. She had not realized how much the dream took out of her.

"Luna, I'm sorry. You just- You were crying in your sleep, and screaming. I was afraid..." Luna felt another tear trickle down her cheek, however this was not her own. She soon saw the girl was crying for her, and the wolf smiled lightly.

"Hush, it's alright. There's no need for you to cry too. I was just having a bad nightmare, that's all. But it's over now."

Teresa embraced her tighter for a moment, and then released her from her arms. They shared a moment of looking at each other, and Luna realized in her eyes that she'd experienced similar kinds of nighmares, and that she understood what she'd gone through. _No... not entirely the same,_ Luna thought to herself.

The two quietly began to prepare for their day's journey. Luna quickly and effortlessly hunted another rabbit to tide her over, and Teresa consumed her dried meats. Eventually they were ready to go, and the two started for their journey.

The air was crisp and cold that morning stinging the bare skin of Teresa's face and Luna's wet nose. Morning dew still hung from the blades of grass, the sky's gloomy overcast foretelling the stay of the cold and wetness. Unfortunately, they were probably going to become stuck in the rain.

"So, where to today?" Teresa asked, her voice returning to attempt a cheerful tone.

"Well, we have been travelling along the cliff at the westernmost part of our continent," she explained. "It began from the Achler mountains, and has slowly raised in altitude, doing the same for us."

"Really?" Teresa asked, amazed. Luna nodded with wisdom. "Yes. We'll probably get to see the edge of the cliff today, unless it's too foggy. Down below are the Deadlands, scattered with many, many small streams of water coming from a lake. This lake is the result of the Ariizont river going over the cliff."

"I've head of the river of Ariizont," Teresa commented. "My mother used to speak of living in a village somewhere along it.

"Oh?" Luna asked. "Then perhaps we shall pass through it. Once we reach the town of Kriiech, which is on the river, we shall stop for supplies for you and me. But after that, we travel east along the river."

"East?" Teresa asked again. "The Akura mountains are at the other end of the river, are they not?" Luna nodded in acknowledgement.

"That's where we are heading," she said. The girl looked at her in wonder, and slight dread at their journey. However she kept her mouth shut, and only continued to walk forward next to her.

_She's an interesting human girl, _Luna thought to herself. She found that the girl provided her comfort, oddly enough. _After living in isolation for so long, I would have thought that I'd prefer to travel alone..._ Luna began to think of her time in the Achler mountain range; the starting foothold for the large cliff that seperated the rest of the continent from the lowlands, or what the people called the Deadlands. Nobody ever entered or traversed in the Achler mountains, for they were dangerous, mazelike, and there was no reason for anyone to enter in the first place.

However, she began to wonder how she'd come to the mountains in the first place. _I don't ever actually remember why I'd gone there in isolation_, she wondered. After a few minutes, her memory returned to her however. _Oh that's right.. I was named a Kerl of the wolves in this land after my brother framed me for my clans death. The death's he commited himself._

Images and flashes of her nightmare returned to Luna, and she remembered Kain's words, the look in his eyes, the pool of blood she lay in of her own family. She began to shudder.

_It was only a dream, _she assured herself. _Kain's web of lies and the isolation from his actions are just beginning to get to me, that's all._ They always had been. There was never a doubt that he'd hurt her terribly, betrayed her beyond her comprehend, and stolen and taken away her life to keep his own.

She never understood why he did what he did. It had always been such a question to her. He'd always been such a kind, loving, curious wolf pup.

Who would have though he would have grown into a psychopathic murderer?

She hadn't. Nor had she thought she would have to suffer his cold-hearted consequences...

* * *

**Hey guys**

**Sorry for the large gap of time since the last chapter. No excuses; I'm just lazy I didn't mean a week to go by D:**

**This one was shorter. The Luna chapters seem to be getting that treatment. But this is only because not a lot is happening right now, and for me to go in great details about trivial things will quickly lose it's prime.****I'll try to have the next chapter in soon. No joke, gunning for two chapters this week. I also really need to work on that story for my friend though. like, really. :P**

**Just a quick note, I wrote these while listening to songs by Beware of Safety and Joy Wants Eternity. Two very good but not widely known instrumental bands (meaning no singing. Just pure, raw, soundscapes of emotion) If you don't know them, and you are interested in experimental kinds of things, I seriously suggest looking them up. Joy Wants Eternity moreso :) Look for From Embrace to Embrace.**

**Also I just realized that these author notes have become the extent of my blog. I've never kept one, but this is becoming my blog Is this sad? XD**

**Anyways, same as usual. Reviews are always welcome, But more important than that I really hope you're enjoying this story :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. I thought about it for a while actually. About what would happen, how I would take these chapters...**

**So now, question time;**

**What do you guys think of Luna? her relationship with Kain? I've never really gone much into Luna's past, but I assure you you'll be learning more and more soon. I just wanted to know what your guys thoughts were on what happened :) **

**~Dragnerz with love 3**


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